Fleeting
by The Scratch Man
Summary: Suffering from amnesia after a coma, Bobby struggles to get his life back on track.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer: I don't own the X Men.**

**A/N: Because I just thought of it. And it's awesome. Also, I mixed in a bunch of characters and the time line placing for this story is kinda vague. It's after the whole Antarctica incident, but I don't really know when that was, so Annie is in the story, which means this is also after Alex left Lorna at the alter… and um, it's also after the Purifiers stuff in Childhood's End. Figure it out yourself. It's a mess.**

Westchester

Outside

"Sentinels," Bobby Drake scoffed as he slid down an ice-slide surf-boarding style. How many sentinels had he faced in all of his years as an X Man? Truthfully, Bobby had lost count after number one-seventy, but it was something to be proud of –the fact he had managed to keep track of all those sentinels. The ice mutant bet that none of the other original X Men even bothered counting after the third mutant-killing machine.

Well, actually… maybe Scott counted…

"Drake! Watch out -!"

Bobby heard the voice but didn't have time to register who it belonged to because the sentinel he was supposed to be fighting as a demo for the New X Men suddenly hit him with one of its huge metal hands and he went flying across the field.

"Shit," Logan growled, running across the lawn to fetch Iceman.

A few minutes later, he carried the unconscious mutant over to the group of waiting students.

"This is why ya gotta pay attention during training, too!" Logan told the students. They all crowded around their Accountancy teacher and Logan gestured at a golden-skinned boy to kneel closer.

"Go ahead and heal him, bub," he said,

Joshua Foley reached out and touched his index finger to Bobby's chest. Bobby glowed with a golden light for a moment and his scratches and cuts healed, scabbed over, and faded away.

Iceman did not open his eyes.

"Is he dead?" Cessily asked fearfully,

Josh's eyes widened, "No! He's in a coma!"

"A _coma_?" Julian Keller repeated mockingly, "How could that hit force him into a _coma_?"

"His breathing and heart patterns indicate that Elixir is correct," Laura spoke up, "I suggest that he should be take to the Med Lab-"

"Outta my way!" Logan snarled at the students. He scooped the ice mutant up and sprinted back in the direction of the building.

[Mutant signature detected. Destroy.]

"Um… guys?" Anole stared up at the sentinel, which had been forgotten in the chaos.

XXXXX

Once Hank hooked Bobby to an oxygen supply and a few machines, there was nothing left to do.

"So tell me what happened again?" Scott Summers was not –understandably –very happy with this new development.

"I told ya –he was supposed t' be showing the kids how t' take out a sentinel, but he wasn't payin' attention and got slapped across the field," Logan said impatiently.

"That's all?" Hank interjected, "A coma as a result of that is surprising, then."

"This is bad," Scott said, starting to pace the Med Lab, "Bobby could be stuck like this for a while. Coma's can last _years_…"

He glanced over at Bobby as if expecting him to jump off his sick bed and yell, "HAHA! Just kidding!"

Bobby remained motionless.

Scott sighed and excused himself from the Med Lab, "I guess I have to arrange for a temporary Accountancy teacher."

XXXXX

/Yer kidding, right?/ Jonothan Starsmore said. He stared at Emma with his eye brows raised in skeptiscm.

"Absolutely not. Look, Jono, you're the only one fit for the job."

/I don't know anything about Accountancy./ Jono said flatly.

Emma sighed, "Yes, but you don't teach any classes and out of all the other options for the job, you're the least likely to shred the students to bits."

Jono shook his head and started to leave Emma's office, /Yer crazy, Emma. The kids aren't gonna listen to a monster like me./

"Please just think about it, Jono," Emma called after her former student as he opened the door.

/Right./ Jono replied, waving his hand dismissively, /I'll do that./

XXXXX

"It's horrible," Annie declared, sitting down at a table in the staff room.

"Hm?" Alex said, looking up from his dinner, "What's that?"

"Bobby's in a coma!" Annie said, "He got knocked out in a demo for a few of the kids and somehow he was sent into a coma."

"Oh… erm, wow. A coma?" Alex said, "That's too bad. Who knocked him out?"

"It was a sentinel he was showing the kids how to fight."

"Oh." Alex said again,

"I'm going to find Jean Paul," Annie said, noticing that her boyfriend didn't particularly care that much about the state of his old rival, "He'll probably be devasted,"

It was not until Annie had exited the room that Alex Summers wondered why Jean Paul would care.

XXXXX

"But how?" Rogue wondered, staring down at her comatose friend.

Hank shook his head, "It remains a mystery. There's a chance that it is due to his second mutation, but…" He sighed. As the news of Bobby's condition had spread, his fellow X Men had almost all stopped by. Hank McCoy found himself explaining the same thing to all of the visitors.

Rogue frowned, "I hope he doesn't stay like this for too long." She said.

As she left, Annie walked in, followed by Jean Paul Beaubier.

"How did this happen, doctor?" Jean Paul demanded.

Hank wondered why Jean Paul looked so anxious. He didn't think that Bobby and the Quebecois were ever particularly close…

Hank told Jean Paul what he had told everyone else.

Annie sat down in the chair next to Bobby, "Oh Bobby… you have the worst luck in the world, don't you?"

XXXXX

/Right. So, as most of you know, yer Accountancy teacher, Bobby Drake, is in a coma. I'm gonna be yer teacher until he wakes up./ Jono paused to wonder how long that would be before he continued, /Most of you probably don't know who I am –I'm Chamber. I worked with Generation X and I was here for about two bloody days when your Miss Frost asked be to teach this class. Out of _the goodness of my heart_, I complied. Any questions?/ Jono scrutinized the students of his first class.

They all stared at him.

Jono winced internally. They were probably wondering why the hell he was covered in black bandages.

A boy in the front row raised his hand, "So do you want us to call you Chamber, or Mr. Chamber?"

/Jono will be fine. I don't do 'mister's./ He rolled his eyes.

"What can you do?" A girl asked.

If Jono had teeth, he would be grinding them together, /Ask one of yer other teachers. Enough questions. What does Iceman usually teach here?/

"Uh, Accountancy?" one of the students said.

/Right. Do you have any textbooks you can read out of?/

"Uh, no." said the same student,

/What were you learning about in your last class? Wait, never mind./ Jono pulled down a screen in front of the white board and turned on the projector, /What movie do you want to watch?/

XXXXX

"You look depressed,"

Jono looked up, as a man sat down next to him.

"Chamber, right? Generation X?"

/Right./ Jono gave the man across him a quick glance, and then turned back to the TV, /Yer Gambit? I've seen you in passing, I think./

"Right. Gambit's de name."

Jono noticed that the few people still sitting in the Recreation Room suddenly got up and left.

/Everyone still hates you fer Antarctica?/ Jono wanted to ask. He didn't. The answer was obvious.

His gaze flickered over to Remy Lebeau for a moment.

The Cajun had brought his legs up to his chest and had his arms wrapped around them. His face, lit by the glowing TV screen, was expressionless, but Jono recognized the distinct expression in the older man's eyes.

He was in pain. Saddened, hurt, angry, remorseful… all those dark emotions swirled inside, fighting to get out.

XXXXX

/I can't teach that class fer one more day, Emma!/ Jono said, stalking into her office, /Those kids stare at me like I'm the thing from the bloody swamp!/

"You've only been teaching the class for four days, Jono, dear, and from what I've heard, the students are watching movies all hour." Emma replied calmly, looking up, "They haven't gotten familiar with you, yet. Give it a few more days."

/Ter Hell with it! I can't teach!/ Jono yelled, throwing his hands up and storming away.

XXXXX

Jonothan Starsmore. Remy found him quite intriguing. Really, moping around like he did, the boy brought self-pity to a whole new level.

No, not a boy. He couldn't be more than five years younger than Remy.

Jono didn't talk much. The most he ever said in one go was on that first official meeting. True, Remy had been vaguely aware of the group of younger mutants, dubbed Generation X, during his time with the X Men, but he'd never really paid them any attention –except for Jubilee, of course –and he'd only ever seen Jono in the halls of the mansion of few times. Even then, Chamber had been dark and brooding.

Remy smiled dryly as he walked down the hall. For the past three nights, they had sat together silently in front of the television. Jono didn't sleep much due to his mutation and Remy didn't sleep much due to… well, he just didn't feel like he deserved to have a good night's sleep.

Remy arrived at the Med Lab and went inside.

He had gone to see Bobby on the first evening of his coma. He had ended up talking to the unconscious X Men for two hours. Every day since, he stopped by the Med Lab to see Bobby before heading to the Recreation Room later on to watch TV with Jono. It was his new routine.

He told Bobby about how cold Antarctica was, how he felt betrayed after being left there. Remy knew Bobby couldn't hear him, but it was nice to get everything out.

Today when Remy walked into the Med Lab, he discovered Jean Paul Beaubier sitting in his usual seat.

He frowned for a moment. Jean Paul usually came to visit Bobby after he finished teaching, yes, but he was usually gone by the time Remy came by. It was like an unspoken arrangement –oh, wait, the speedster was getting up and leaving now…

Remy took up the empty seat and watched Jean Paul disappear through the doors.

"Gambit t'inks JP got a little crush on y'," Remy told Bobby, smiling slightly.

The room was silent except for the beeping of Bobby's heart monitor.

Hank could be seen working in his personal lab, but there were doors that muted the sound between there and the sick room.

"Guess what," Remy said.

Silence.

"Gambit makin' a new friend, Bobby," He paused for a moment, "Okay, I'll drop de t'ird person point o' view. I know. Everyone t'inks it's weird. But it's like blamin' someone else f' what Gam- f' what _I_ do." Remy stared at Bobby's expressionless face, "Do y' understand?"

Silence.

"Anyway, I'm makin' a new friend. His name's Jono. R'member him? He's teachin' y' Accountancy class until y' wake up. We watch de late night television shows t'geder. I kinda hopin'…" Remy suddenly felt blush creep up and tinge his cheeks, "I kinda hopin' we can watch TV t'geder every night. Like a routine, _non_? Put some order into my life again." He smiled at the thought. His cheek muscles were sore from the lack of use, so he stopped after a moment.

In the other room, Hank looked up from his current line of research to see Gambit sitting at Bobby's bed side. Between Jean Paul and Remy, Bobby was almost never alone in the evening.

Hank was well aware that they both talked to the unconscious ice-mutant during their visits, which was why he went to his personal lab in the evening –to give them some privacy. The doctor was glad to see Remy smile a few times as he talked, even if it was to a comatose mutant.

Hank frowned.

Yes, comatose. Bobby had been Hank's friend for years. Now he was in a coma and those could last for years, Hank knew.

Another thought lurked constantly in Hank's mind. Some people did not wake up from comas. Bobby Drake could as well be one of them.

**A/N: So… I hope you liked it so far! Reviews are appreciated!**


	2. Not As If They Care

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the X Men or Frankenstein. That is by Mary Shelley.**

**A/N: Okay, I realise that Alex, Annie, Jean Paul and the new X Men are the ones out of place here and I apologize to any readers who like to keep the timelines right. In case any of you were confused, though, Jean is still alive in this story and Emma has not stolen Scott away. Hope you all liked chapter one. Here cometh the second! Please review.**

Westchester

Medical Laboratory

"I'm not sure,"

"You have an amazing power, Josh," Hank said gently, "You could bring Bobby out of his coma in seconds."

"What if I end up doing something worse?" Josh asked nervously, "Look, I've been keeping the healing part of my powers to a minimum. After all the destruction to life my powers caused, I'm not sure I really want to use them that much."

"Alright, Josh," Hank resigned sadly, "It's your choice. If you change your mind, please come down and visit."

Elixir nodded and exited the Med Lab just as Jean Paul walked in.

"Hello, Hank," He greeted the doctor and sat down in the seat next to Bobby's bed, "Hello, Robert,"

"Bobby," Hank suddenly said,

"Pardon me?"

"He would want you to call him Bobby," Hank said as he went into his personal lab.

Jean Paul looked down at Bobby and hesitantly reached out and took the ice mutants hand, "I would love to call you Bobby," he smiled,

XXXXX

"Guess what," Remy said as usual.

Silence.

As usual.

"Don' know if y' countin' in dere, but you've been comatose for a whole week now. T' me, it feels like so much longer. De mornin's jus' drag, Bobby. Den I come here t' visit y' and time flies after dat. Mebbe I should bring a book wit' me next time. What books do y' like?"

Silence.

"I'll bring a few different types f' y' t' choose from, den,"

Silence

"Jono said a whole sentence yesterday. Wondered why I didn' go t' sleep instead o' watchin' TV wit' him."

Silence.

"It's been a year an' a half since Antarctica, Bobby. Why don' anyone f'give me?"

XXXXX

Jean Paul couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned and kicked back his bed sheets.

Jean Paul checked his bedside alarm clock. 4 AM.

Damn.

He'd been awake for the whole night.

Jean Paul got up, took a shower and headed downstairs.

He passed the Recreation Room and heard sounds from the TV. Poking his head into the darkened room, he saw two men sitting in front of the widescreen, both beginning to doze off.

Jean Paul recognized them as Gambit and Chamber.

Gambit.

Yes, Jean Paul wondered about the Cajun. Jean Paul visited Bobby Drake almost every evening in the Med Lab, and the shunned thief was always there by seven-thirty to visit, too.

It was odd, because Jean Paul couldn't ever recall Bobby and Gambit getting along very well –seeing as Bobby was friends with Angel, who absolutely abhorred Gambit, and Rogue, who had left him in Antarctica to die.

Jean Paul walked into the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. He would thank himself for it later on.

He wandered through the mansion and ended up back in the Recreation Room.

It was nearly five o'clock and contrary to what Jean Paul had seen earlier, Jono and Remy were both awake again.

"Have you slept at all?" Jean Paul wondered aloud.

They both jumped at the sound of his voice cutting through the room.

"Gambit jus' woke up," the Cajun replied, smiling like he always did. Jean Paul couldn't remember the last time Gambit's smile had reached past his lips. It was always forced.

Jean Paul vaguely wondered why he was doing so as he sat he sat down and joined them.

Remy tensed slightly as Jean Paul settled down on the other couch. He carefully took in the emotions around him. Jono was full of angst, as usual of course, but it was Jean Paul's emotions that Remy was looking for.

Eventually he felt it and it felt just so _Jean Paul_. The speedster held no sign of hostility or weariness all the other X Men and students had when they were around him.

It surprised Remy and confused him greatly.

_Doesn't he hate me?_ Remy wondered.

XXXXX

"I brought some books," Remy said as he sat down next to Bobby, "Hope y' don' mind, but I took most o' dem from y'r room," He set a pile of books on the table next to Bobby's bed.

"Y' got a clean room, Drake. Don' know if I expectin' it t' be real messy, but I didn' t'ink it'd be dat neat." Remy shook his head. He took a book off the top of the stack and opened it, "Y' never touched dis book, Bobby. It was bein' very lonely on y'r bookshelf," He grinned and opened it, "Preface… 'De events on which dis fiction is fouded has been supposed, by Dr. Darwin, an' some o' de sphyiological writers o' Germany, as not o' impossible occurrence. I shall not be supposed as…' Eh, why don' we skip past de preface, _homme_?" Remy flipped to the third page and started once more, "'T' Mrs. Saville, England. St. Petersburgh, December eleventh, 17-. Y' will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement o' an enterprise which y' have regarded wit' such evil forebodin's. I arrived here yesterday' an' my first task is t' assure my dear sister o' my welfare, an' increasin' confidence in de success o' my undertakin'.'"

As Remy read, he did not notice Hank exit his personal lab and walk into the main room. He read for several minutes as the doctor looked on. When Hank went back into his lab, smiling to himself, Remy was still reading in the same calm and smooth voice.

"'…Last Monday –July t'irty-firs' –we were nearly surrounded by ice, which closed in de ship on all sides, scarcely leavin' her the sea-room in which she floated.'" Remy flipped through to the next page, gulping quickly, "Sorry if y' wanted t' hear de rest o' dat, Bobby. But Gambit don' like ice-lands all dat much." He let out a shaky breath, and then closed the book, "We'll save 'Frankenstein' f' later, den, _oui, homme_?" He forced a smile, setting it down on the table next to the other books.

He leaned over and put his face in his hands, "Gambit hate what Rogue did t' him. She was supposed t' love Gambit. She left him t' die in Antarctica instead," he moaned. He looked up and stared sadly at Bobby's expressionless face, "It was so cold dere. Gambit almost died. An' f' what? De Morlock Massacre. But Sinister tricked Gambit int' leadin' de Marauders int' de Morlock tunnels." He said quietly, "Why does everyone still hate Gambit? Dey know dat Gambit was jus' followin' Sinster's orders!" He choked, "I don' understand!" He yelled, jumping to his feet without realizing it.

Hank poked his head in, hearing the noise, "Is everything alright in there, my friend?"

"Y' ain't Gambit's friend! Don' act like y' care when y' don'!" He yelled, storming out of the Med Lab.

Hank started to follow Gambit when Bobby's monitors started working up.

Bobby had stopped breathing.

XXXXX

_Day 9_ –Patient stopped breathing for eleven seconds today. State is beginning to worsen. Must keep a watchful eye.

XXXXX

_Day 10 morning_ –Patient is stable once more.

XXXXX

Jean Paul sat down next to Bobby and noticed a stack of books on his table.

"Hank, what are these for?" He called across the Med Lab.

Hank paused as he walked to his personal lab, "Oh, those are Bobby's, I believe. Gambit brought them down yesterday to read to him."

Jean Paul looked down at the book on the top of the pile.

"'Frankenstein?'" He picked it up and opened it. One of the beginning pages was dog-leafed.

Jean Paul smiled, assuming that was were Gambit had left off reading, and started reading the story for Bobby himself, "'In the morning, however, as soon as it was light, I went upon deck and found all the sailors busy on one side of the vessel, apparently talking to someone in the sea.'"

As he read, Jean Paul took Bobby's hand in his.

Meanwhile, something disturbed Hank. He kept wondering about why Gambit had started yelling the evening before. Perhaps he should check on the Cajun and make sure he was okay…

XXXXX

Remy stepped into the boat house.

It was quite familiar to him –he had stayed there for a few weeks following his return from Antarctica. Why he had ever decided that he could move back into the mansion was a mystery.

Remy dropped his things in one of the two bedrooms in the boathouse and went into the kitchen to put the food he had brought down from the mansion in the cupboards and refrigerator.

He glanced at the old clock on the wall.

Seven-twenty.

When Remy finished packing away the food, he started the coffee-maker and made some very caffeinated coffee.

He then sat down at the table with his drink and checked the clock again.

Seven-thirty-five.

Usually Remy would be visiting Bobby in the Med Lab by this time.

He sighed.

Company was company, even if his only company these days were a comatose man he never really ever talked to before he _became_ comatose, and a man would kept the things that he said to less than five syllables.

He missed company.

Remy took a gulp of coffee and burned his throat as he swallowed.

Pain.

It took his thoughts off everything else.

Remy took another swig of his drink and burned his already raw throat once more. He winced and shuddered and then drank again.

XXXXX

Jean Paul sat next to Bobby and read until it was well past ten o'clock and he was well past chapter eight.

He looked down at Bobby and set the book aside, "_Je suis désolé,_ Bobby, but I cannot read another word."

He leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs and stood up, "A mountain of papers are waiting to be graded in my room," He said, "It's tempting to stay here with you, but Emma will start nagging me if I leave off my duties any longer. _Bonne nuit_, Robert," Jean Paul patted Bobby's arm and left.

Hank bustled in a few minutes later to check on his friend.

"You gave me quite a scare yesterday," He told Bobby as he checked the monitors and made sure all tubes were in place, "and your condition still puzzles me. Is this really even a coma you're in, my friend?" He stared intently at Bobby and then shrugged, "Of course. What else would it be?"

XXXXX

Ditched.

Again.

Jono glared at the television screen.

What was he thinking? That Gambit would be there every night to sit next to him and keep him company?

Even Gambit, the pariah of the X Men –hated by all –didn't want anything to do with Jono. Gambit was a very handsome man and Jono was … well, he wasn't even whole. You had to be whole to be handsome.

Jono turned off the TV and went to his room, closing the door as quietly as he could when what he really wanted to do was slam it shut.

XXXXX

_Day 10 evening_ –Patient's vital signs are worsening once more. Heart beat is turning sporadic and the patient is showing signs of rapid eye movement. Must be examined and diagnosed again.

XXXXX

_Bobby raced along the empty hallway of the mansion and turned the corner. Another hall –the ceiling tall, the end seeming miles away._

_ A metallic clang echoed in the distance and Bobby began running again._

_ Several minutes passed. Was the hallway getting longer? Was the ceiling getting higher?_

_ Bobby felt suffocated somehow, seeing all this room._

_Oh! _

_Bobby felt enormous relief as he spotted a door off to the left. He ran over and opened it._

_ A blinding light erupted from inside and Bobby was knocked off his feet_.

_A cold, numb feeling spread throughout his body. Suddenly a wave of white-hot pain coursed through him. Bobby screamed._

"Oh my god! Hank what's happening?"

"Hold him down, Annie!"

_It was too much. Where did it all come from? Bobby only opened the door to escape whatever was following him. Another jolt of pain followed the first. It was like his blood was on fire… _

"His brain wave patterns are jumping all over the place! Something's going on in his head! Get Jean or Emma or the professor-"

_He could hear blood pumping in his ears. The metallic clang was getting closer…_

_ Bobby forced his eyes open. _

_Who was that?_

What _was that?_

"Go! Now!"

"_Hello, Robert Drake," The man (was it a man or a demon?) with the fiery-red skin and long white hair said, "You need to stop running."_

_Bobby stared up at him in terror, "Who-?"_

"_Never mind, Robert Drake. I'm here to help you." He pulled a sword out of somewhere beneath his black cloak and raised it over his head, "Good bye, Robert Drake," He said, bringing it down._

"Oh my god,"

XXXXX

_Day 11_ –Patient suffered a severe seizure. Activity in the mind was questioned, but telepathic shields were discovered to be impenetrable by Omega-level telepaths.

_Day 12_ –Patient is subdued. Brain wave patterns suggest he is falling deeper into his 'coma'.

_Day 14_ –Patient's condition worsens. Prognosis is not looking very good.

XXXXX

Remy opened his eyes and looked around groggily. He felt sore all over.

His throat was raw and so dry that he nearly choked as the skin inside stuck together momentarily as he swallowed.

Remy wondered what time it was. The memories of his last time conscious came back to him.

He had drunk the whole pot of coffee, gotten extremely caffeinated before crashing completely. He hadn't slept for more than three hours at a time for a while.

Remy dragged himself off the living room couch and headed to the shower.

When he came out of the bathroom an hour later, fully refreshed, he went into the kitchen and fixed something to eat.

His throat was highly sensitive, though, and it even hurt to swallow water. His tongue felt swollen, too, maybe because his taste buds were all scorched.

So Remy left his food untouched on the counter and went outside. He felt guilty for leaving Bobby, even though the ice mutant wouldn't have noticed. Remy would just sneak in to the mansion and stop by the Med Lab to check in on him.

When Remy arrived at the mansion, classes were just being dismissed, and students milled about the hallway.

They caught sight of Remy, and their voices would lower and they'd shoot him secretive looks.

'Traitor' their eyes accused.

Remy didn't pay any of them attention; what did they know about Antarctica?

He proceeded through the mansion and down to the Med Lab.

Scott, Jean, Emma, the professor, and Hank were all crowded around Bobby's bed and seemed to be deep discussion.

Xavier turned around, "Gambit," he said, "We told everyone not to come down here to visit Bobby. You are not exempt from 'everyone'. I'm sorry, you'll be able to visit when we've figured out what's going on."

Remy nodded, throat too sore to speak.

As he left, he wondered when the no visitor rule had gone into action.

Maybe that morning, while he was still asleep? And what was wrong with Bobby that all those telepaths needed to 'figure out'?

Remy decided to sneak into the Med Lab in the night to visit Bobby, despite the no visitor rule. After all, who was he to follow rules?

"Where ya been, Gumbo?"

Remy whirled around, cursing himself silently for drifting into deep thought.

"Moved back int' de boathouse," he told Logan. He cleared his throat to make his voice less scratchy and winced at the pain the simple task caused.

Logan stood with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. This was good -he never crossed his arms if there was a chance he would attack you.

"For four days?"

"Huh?" Remy said, scrunching his nose. Four days? He had been asleep for _four days_? _Merde_!

Logan looked satisfied as he saw comprehension dawn over Remy's face.

"So ya been sleepin', I'm guessin'? 'Bout time. How ya managed tah stay awake for the past weeks amazes me," Logan snorted and then scrutinized Remy's face as he spoke again, "Chamber's been sulking more than usual the past days. Every time someone mentions ya, he gets all pissy. Ya know why?"

Remy forced a smile, "Non. Gambit don' talk t' Chamber dat much anyway." He said, his sore throat screaming in protest. Inside, his mind was reeling from this new development. What did it mean? Remy also wondered how often he was mentioned among the X Men.

"Hm. Well, maybe he was ticked 'bout something else." Logan shrugged, "Later, Gumbo."

Remy watched Logan walk down the hall.

He went to the wing of the mansion with all of the class rooms and tracked down the Accountancy classroom.

The door was open, so he proceeded into walking right in.

"Chamber?" He said, "Jono?"

/Wot?/ he snapped irritably without looking up from the teacher's desk, which he seemed to be carving into angrily with a penknife.

Remy strode across the room and stopped short of the desk three feet.

He could really feel Jono's emotions radiating off of him –anger (as usual), self-hatred (as usual), self-pity (as usual), loneliness (also as usual), and … betrayal?

Remy craved to know what was wrong. Did it have something to do with him?

Ah, but that was just wishful thinking –nobody cared about him truly.

"Why y' so angry all de time?" Remy wondered, sitting on the long table that acted as the first row of desks.

Jono's head snapped up as he registered Remy's voice. He glared at the Cajun, /Wot're you doin' 'ere?/ He said.

Remy cocked his head and looked at Jono, "Well now dat y' mention it, Gambit does recall livin' 'ere." He said.

/Yer livin' in the boathouse./ Jono retorted.

Gambit raised his eyebrows, "Gambit didn' know anyone was payin' attention t' where he went,"

/I saw yer leave./ Jono said.

Remy would never have known Jono was lying if he didn't have his empathy powers. He couldn't fathom _why_ Jono was lying, though.

"Did y'?" he said doubtfully,

/Well I don't bloody go asking about yer. Not that anyone would know where yer were. Not as if they _care_./ Jono said viciously with a mental snort.

Remy blinked and hopped off the table, expression turning cold, "Well dey might not give a shit 'bout Gambit, but y' got no reason t' be mopin' around all de time. Are y' tryin' t' get some pity? 'Cause it ain't workin'." He retorted. Where were these words coming from? Remy didn't want to be cruel but he just couldn't help it. Jono had hit where it hurt most.

Remy grabbed a playing card from his pocket, charged it, and sent it flying at the papers on Jono's (Bobby's) desk. The card exploded and ash and shredded paper flew into the air.

Without any hesitation, Remy stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

He passed Logan in the hall and noticed the short man seemed to have been waiting. Remy ignored his questioning look and stormed out of the mansion, Jono's words still ringing in his head…

_Not as if they care_.

Remy decided he would go home to the boat house and make a large pot of steaming coffee.

XXXXX

_Day 15_ –Patient's symptoms have begun to subside. Vital signs are slowly returning to normal.

XXXXX

Jean furrowed her brow, "You're leaving? Why didn't you mention it?"

Emma nodded, "I know that the problem with Bobby remains unsolved, but Sean really needs me in Generation X. He only contacted me yesterday. I'll pop in from time to time, of course, and I'll always be in touch if I'm needed –though I doubt that; you and Charles are perfectly capable of any things needed telepathically." She shrugged and opened the front doors.

Jean helped her lift her suitcases into a car waiting outside and then watched it drive away.

"Was that Emma?" Scott approached her in the driveway.

Jean turned and kissed her husband quickly on the lips before taking his arm and following him back inside, "She has to go back to the other school. Sean is in need of her there."

"Why didn't she tell us?" Scott wondered,

"She said Sean just called yesterday."

"But what about Bobby?" Scott wondered, looking upset.

Jean sighed, "I know you're worried about Bobby, Scott. We all are. He's our friend and we want him to get better. Between Hank, Charles, me and you, I'm sure we'll figure something out."

"What am I supposed to do for him?" Scott burst out, "Cancel his training sessions in the Danger Room for the next few months? Jean, I feel so useless!"

Jean had suspected something like this was nagging Scott, "Don't worry, love," she said soothingly as they walked into the mansion, "Bobby _will_ wake up. I'm confident that he will pull through."

No sooner had she said this than a telepathic voice called out to her, /Jean! Charles! Come down to the med lab –immediately! Bobby's brain waves are way too active!/ Hank said, /He's suffering a seizure right now –it's really bad!/

Scott saw his wife's eyes widen in fear.

"What? What's going on?"

Jean blinked and stared at him, "It's Bobby! I have to get down there-" suddenly, her voice cut off and she collapsed.

Scott caught her before she hit the ground, "Jean? Jean!"

XXXXX

A/N: Right. So get ready for this story to get really wierd. Oh, and sorry for the lack of Jean Paul. Until Bobby, wakes up, though, the focus will be on Remy, kind of. Sorry to disappoint. Anyway, reviews are appreciated! And yes, I basically just shoved Emma out of the story. 'Cuz I don't like her and she's a waste of space.

NEXT: Bobby's condition takes a turn for the totally and utterly bizarre!


	3. Wake Up

**Disclaimer: I'm not in the god damn mood. Check the other chapters.**

**A/N: So, as you may have figured out from my bad language in the disclaimer, I'm in a rather shitty mood. And why the fuck? BECAUSE MY FUCKING USB DRIVE IS GONE. And I have therefore lost three novels I was working on, a portfolio of poems, two finished stories, and all my fanfictions. Spell screwed, please?**

**Anyway, I'm gonna try and rewrite the chapter three that I had already started. Feel pity for me and review. (I'm mostly talking to you, Alyss Bluerabbit, 'cuz I know you have this on your story alert).**

**Also, a shout out to my first (and anonymous) reviewer: Thanks!**

* * *

><p>Westchester<p>

Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters

"Jean? Jean!" Scott cried, shaking her shoulders. A moment later, an icy force seemed to sweep through his head and he collapsed next to his wife.

All around the mansion, bodies dropped to the ground unconscious.

XXXXX

_Bobby looked around nervously. He was standing in the middle of a vast white plain, and he was cold, "Hello?" He called out._

_ "Robert Drake."_

_He whirled around and stared at the white haired, red skinned demon of a man suddenly standing behind him, "Y—you killed me!" he gasped._

_ The man shook his head, "I saved you,"_

"_Who are you?" Bobby whispered, edging away._

"_That does not matter."_

"_Where am I? Am I in Hell? Is this Hell?" Bobby panicked, looking around frantically._

_ "You are in a medical lab in Westchester, New York." The demon-man said calmly. _

_ "What? Why? I live in Michigan!" Bobby cried._

"_No, Robert Drake. You are a mutant and you live in Westchester."_

"_How did I get here? Why aren't there any people?"_

"_You're aren't awake," The demon man answered._

"_This is a dream?"_

"_In a way,"_

"_What d'you mean 'in a way'? This is either a dream, or it's not-"_

_The demon man shook his head again, "Wake up, Robert Drake," He said instead._

XXXXX

Remy stared thoughtfully out the kitchen window. The mansion was still brightly lit. No lights had been turned on and no lights had been turned off.

He briefly wondered why, but then pushed the thought away.

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _

He looked down into the sink where crimson drops of blood trickled off his arms, where slashes crisscrossed all the way up his forearm.

The pain.

It kept him from thinking too deeply about anything else.

He wondered what the others would think if they knew what he was doing.

_Not as if they care._

Chamber's words echoed in his mind and Remy picked up his pen knife off the counter top and slashed angrily at his skin.

XXXXX

Jean Paul groaned and opened his eyes. Christ, had he fallen asleep while grading papers _again_-?

He took a good look around before he realised he was actually lying on the floor of his classroom.

Yes, he now vaguely recalled holding his class over the bell to yell at them for their rowdy behavior. Then his knees had buckled underneath him and everything had gone black.

Oh. How embarrassing.

Jean Paul zipped to his feet and as he looked around, his eyes widened in astonishment.

His students sat slumped over or slouched in their seats, all in various positions of unconsciousness.

Even more shocking, the sky outside the window was dark.

Jean Paul sped to the door, opened it, and peeked out into the hallway.

"_Mon dieu_," He breathed as he took in the sight of bodies strewn across the carpet. Papers, textbooks, and pencils and pens were scattered around their unconscious owners.

The speedster stepped around them and zoomed down towards the Med Lab.

He would awaken Hank –hopefully the doctor would know what was to be done…

Just outside the Med Lab, Jean Paul discovered Professor Xavier slumped over in his wheel chair, evidently just about to enter the room.

/Xavier!/ Jean Paul shouted mentally.

Xavier's head snapped up with a jolt and he looked around.

"_Desole_, Professor, but it was necessary," Jean Paul apologized for mentally screaming at him, "I woke up a few minutes ago to find the whole mansion unconscious. It is ten-thirty five in the evening."

Xavier looked alarmed, "The whole mansion was affected?"

"_Oui_," Jean Paul nodded.

Xavier reached forward and pressed the button to open the lab doors, "This is very much unexpected…" He murmured, wheeling himself into the Med Lab when the doors opened.

"What's unexpected?" Jean Paul said.

Xavier didn't respond and pushed himself over to Bobby Drake's bedside while Jean Paul help Hank (who was just starting to wake up) up off the floor.

The professor leaned over to observe his former student whole lay in the bed, "Hank, I do believe you said Bobby was suffering seizures before we were knocked unconscious?" He called.

Hank rubbed his eyes and blinked, "Yes,"

"Hm, interesting…" Xavier closed his eyes and a look of deep concentration entered his features.

Jean Paul opened his mouth and a question started to form, but Hank placed a furry paw on his arm and gestured that they ought to leave the room.

"Might you assist me with waking up the rest of the mansion, my friend?" Hank asked as they left the Med Lab, "I'd like to make sure no one severely hurt themselves when everyone was rendered unconscious."

"Of course," Jean Paul nodded, though he wanted to stay and find out what was going on with Bobby that Xavier had deemed so 'interesting'. He followed Hank up down the hall and asked, "What might have caused all this?"

"My best guess is a telepath," Hank said, "But it was obviously not the professor, and all students who need to work on controlling their powers the most are with Sean in Massachusetts…"

"What about Bobby?" Jean Paul asked, "Xavier mentioned that he was having seizures…"

"Yes, all does seem to be fine, now." Hank glanced back, "Perhaps I should have made sure, though…" he shook his head, "No, Charles has control over the situation right now."

XXXXX

Fortunately, no one had been training the Danger Room. Jean Paul and Hank shuddered to think what might have happened to anyone who had fallen unconscious while in there.

Quite a few people needed to go down to the Med Lab because of broken or fractured bones due to falls. Many people woke up extremely confused and freaked out.

"It was some sort of telepathic force," Jean said as she met the professor in the Med Lab, "But I didn't even recognize anything wrong until I was hit! I don't know how to explain it!"

Xavier nodded, pressing his fingertips together and looking down at Bobby thoughtfully, "Even for his comatose state, Bobby's mind is unusually blank right now. Do you sense that, Jean?"

She paused and concentrated for a moment. Then she nodded, "Yes, but it wasn't like that yesterday, was it?"

"No," her mentor replied,

"So you think _Bobby_ somehow had something to do with what happened? His telepathic shields are so weak; how could he take out an entire…?" Jean shook her head.

Xavier disagreed, "His shields are very strong right now, though. Even so, I sense that it wasn't just Bobby doing this, Jean. In fact, I believe someone may have been operating _through_ him."

"But who and how, Charles?"

Xavier pushed himself away from Bobby's bed and wheeled himself toward the window where it was pitch black outside, "I have absolutely no idea, Jean."

XXXXX

Remy groaned softly as he opened his eyes. His arms and throat were both sore, now.

Ah well; the price you must pay for a few seconds of forgetting.

He dressed himself slowly and skipped breakfast, not in the mood to try swallowing anything.

He would have to keep the pain to just cutting himself. Scorching his throat had troublesome side effects.

Remy put on his trench coat and opened the door of the boat house. A slight morning chill greeted him outside and he clenched his fists together. He made his way across the lawn to the mansion, where he slipped inside quickly.

As he walked down the hallway (keeping to the side, out of attention), he noticed more than a few people sporting bandages and even three people with casts.

_What happened yesterday? _He wondered in confusion.

Remy walked into the Med Lab and no one stopped him, but once again, Scott, Xavier, Hank, and Jean was crowded around Bobby's bed. This time, instead of Emma, Jean Paul and Annie were also there.

They turned to look at Remy and Hank walked around the bed toward Remy, "Do you have any injuries, Gambit?"

Remy panicked for a moment. How did Hank know-?

"Several people have already come in to be examined. They didn't feel anything

yesterday when everyone woke up, but now they're complaining a bit of-"

"Y've lost me, Henri," Remy said hoarsely. He tried to silently clear his throat, "What do y' mean 'bout 'everyone wakin' up'?"

Now it was Hank and the others' turn to be confused.

"Remy, were you in the mansion yesterday?" Jean asked, catching on the quickest.

"_Non_,"

"So you weren't knocked out?" Annie wondered.

Remy crossed his arms, "Now why would Gambit be knocked out?"

Xavier pushed himself forward in his wheelchair, "Gambit, yesterday morning, the whole mansion was forced unconscious by a foreign telepathic force."

"An' y' all t'ink dat de Iceman did it?" Remy said, raising his eyebrows as he put two and two together.

"It wasn't _Bobby_; it was someone operating through him." Jean Paul said impatiently, "And I still think that we should just have Elixir wake him up. He is quite capable," he turned back to the others.

"We can't force Josh to do something he doesn't want to do," Jean sighed,

"I don't understand why he's even refusing," Jean Paul grumbled.

Xavier turned back toward Bobby, "So whatever happened only affected the mansion…" He glanced around the room, "Annie, Jean Paul, Gambit –could you give us some privacy for a moment?"

Jean Paul looked like he was about to protest, but Annie nodded, grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the doors.

Remy stared at Hank, Xavier, Jean, Scott, and finally Bobby, who lay unconscious between them all.

He nodded slowly and turned around.

Jean Paul sent him a narrowed-eyed look as he passed the speedster outside and Remy felt his eyes burning into his back as he retreated down the hall.

On his way out the mansion, he passed Rogue. She glared at him as he walked by, and he pretended not to notice and not to care.

She left him in Antarctica. She didn't love him. She didn't want him. She didn't care. _Not as if they care._

Remy winced internally as he remembered Chamber's words again.

It was absolutely horrid. How long would those words haunt him? Forever?

XXXXX

Remy sat next to Bobby, "Been two weeks an' a day," He whispered hoarsely, "How much longer do y' think y' can sleep?"

Silence.

Remy crossed his arms carefully, wincing as some pressure was applied to the cuts on his arms, "Sorry f' not visitin' f' a while." He said to Bobby, "Gambit…I…. Gambit was havin' some issues. Chamber's a jackass." He scowled and then sighed, leaning back in his seat, "He said no one cared 'bout Gambit. Guess he's right, but don' want t' really admit it… jus' did, dough."

Silence.

"Do y' care, Bobby? Don' t'ink y' would. Gambit never really talked t' y' b'fore." Remy muttered. He glanced down at Bobby and frowned. He leaned forward and reached out.

From his viewpoint, he could've sworn he'd seen…

Remy pulled down the collar of the gown Bobby was wearing.

"_Merde_," He gasped and stood up to inspect Bobby closer.

He pressed his fingertips against the pearly-pink tinged ice forming on Bobby's chest, "Henri!" He called hoarsely, ignoring the pain in his throat as he yelled, "Henri!"

He heard Hank running over and he stared down at Bobby.

The man's eyes squeezed shut before relaxing again, as if he was wincing at the volume of Remy's voice, so close to his face.

"What is it, Remy?" Hank said anxiously.

Remy moved his gaze from Bobby's face down to his own hand, which was still pressed against the ice on Bobby's chest.

"Oh my stars and garters," Hank breathed as he caught sight of it.

XXXXX

_Wake up… _

_Wake up…_

_Everything was black but Bobby could still hear the demon man's voice echoing in his ears._

_Maybe he should wake up. _

_He wanted to know what was going on, anyway…_

"Is he icin' up?"

"No, no… This isn't just ice, Remy –look, it's pink… We need to call the professor down here."

_Professor? What professor? And who did these voices belong to? _

_Bobby thought he vaguely recognized one of them… and the name 'Remy'… That rung a bell._

_Wake up…_

_Wake up…_

Maybe I should,_ Bobby thought to himself._

_Wake up…_

_Wake up…_

I will; just wait a moment,_ Bobby told the echoing voice._

* * *

><p>AN: MWAHAHA! Okay, I'm sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the last, but I hope you liked it, nonetheless. Please review! And I found my USB drive, so no need to worry! Also, as a side note, I'm not sure where Gen X was based, but according to the little knowledge I have of Emma, I think it's in Massachusetts. Sorry if I'm wrong.


	4. No More Pretending

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Will Bobby wake up? Let's find out! Please review!

A shout out to **Another Anonymous**, who is obviously, ANOTHER anonymous reviewer (really, I should just disable anonymous reviews… but then I wouldn't HAVE half of the reviews I DO have, so…): Yes, I keep everything on a USB. I'm stupid like that. Even my MOM tells me to put my stuff on backup, but I'm waaay too lazy to do anything like that.

Chapter Four: In which everyone experiences violent mood swings.

XXXXX

"The good thing is, the ice doesn't seem to be spreading any longer. It's isolated to just part of his chest," Hank said once the professor arrived and Remy had left.

"There's a chance that this may be the real cause for Bobby's coma." Xavier said, "It's a second mutation. The coma might simply be Bobby's body's way to deal with whatever changes his secondary mutation may bring to him physically or mentally. "

Hank nodded, looking thoughtful, "That's a reasonable explanation. But if so, what is his second mutation?"

Xavier looked troubled by this, "We won't fully know until Bobby awakens, I think, but based on what I saw, it looked like the pink behind the ice were some of his internal organs."

"He's really turning into ice, then." Hank said grimly.

XXXXX

_Day 17_ –Patient is showing signs of a possible second mutation…

XXXXX

A student raised his hand.

Jono looked at him. What was his name…? /Yes?/ he said awkwardly.

"Are you going to ever teach us anything?"

The students around him groaned and told him to be quiet.

Jono blinked, /I don't know anything about Accountancy. I'm just here ter fill in the position. Otherwise y' kids would be running 'round loose./ He turned on the projector, /Now watch the movie and don't ask any more questions./

"Hey, Jono," One of his students said as the opening credits rolled, "Are you ever going to tell us why the desk is burnt?"

Jono crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, /Don't count on it./ he said moodily.

XXXXX

"Henri's runnin' a bunch o' tests on y'r blood and skin samples," Remy hoarsely informed his comatose companion, "He's been comin' in an' out o' his lab all day."

He peered down at Bobby, "T'ink he'll find anyt'in'?"

Bobby's hand twitched.

Remy sucked in his breath and held it as he stared at Bobby's hand.

The index finger twitched. Then the pinky finger.

"Bobby?" Remy whispered.

He was still once more.

Remy sighed and leaned back just as Hank came bustling into the room for more samples.

"His fingers moved a little, Henri," He said, "When Gambit asked him a question."

"Really?" Hank said, looking excited, "That's fantastic! It means he is becoming aware of his surroundings! He might wake up soon!"

Remy nodded and cracked a forced, half-smile.

The truth was he was very afraid that when Bobby awoke, he would no longer have anyone again.

Even comatose, his companionship was very valuable to Remy.

On his way out the mansion that evening, Remy heard the sound of the television in the Recreation Room.

It was nearly one o'clock AM and Remy could think of only one person who would be up watching shows at this late –or rather,_ early_ –hour.

Remy was suddenly very angry.

Damn Chamber! Damn Jono!

It was _his_ fault Remy's arms were sore! His god damn fault!

_Not as if they care. Not as if they care. Not as if they care._

That phrase, once leaving Jono's … well, _mind_…had gone into Remy's head and had been echoing there, over and over.

If Remy had to hear those words one more time, he swore he'd go mad.

He stormed into the Recreation Room, ready to give Chamber an earful (even if it might be a little hoarse due to Remy's still sore throat) and found the younger man curled up against one end of the couch, head bowed, eyes closed; asleep.

Remy stared at Jono and then sat down on the couch next to the sleeping man.

He looked absolutely peaceful –how different it was from his usual expression –and Remy could only watch, mesmerized.

Remy leaned against the couch and carefully shifted his position, trying not to move around too much as he tucked his legs underneath him.

"…Long time ago, Jubilee told Gambit dat y' t'inky'r_unmonstre_." Remy said softly. He looked over Jono's motionless features, "Y're sort o' beautiful, I t'ink," Remy smiled, rather amused by what he found himself saying. He reached out and brushed his fingertips against the bandages on Jono's face, "_Bel homme_. Beautiful man."

"What are yah doin?"

Remy jumped to his feet, snatching his hand back.

Rogue stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest, and a scowl firmly placed on her face.

"R-Rogue…" He stammered, "It's late; what are y' doin' here so late?"

"Ah asked first. What were yah doin' tah him?" Rogue snarled, taking a step forward.

"Gam-Gambit was, eh…" he looked around the dim room.

"Yah were _touchin'_ him," Rogue said, looking disgusted, "And he's fuckin' asleep!"

"_Non_! It's not like dat!" Remy said frantically.

"Y-yah bastard!" Rogue gasped.

"_Non,_" Remy whispered, "_non_!"

"Yah –yah'redisgustin'," Rogue spat, striding forward.

She slapped him across the face with a gloveless hand and Gambit gasped as her bare skin touched his for a moment.

Rogue stalked out of the room and Remy staggered back and fell down on the couch, feeling dizzy.

/…Wot the bloody hell is goin' on?/ Jono opened his eyes and looked around, sitting up.

Remy scrambled back.

/Oh. It's _you_./ He said, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry 'bout dat," Remy snapped immediately, "Gambit jus' leave y' t'y'self den."

Jono sat on the couch, bewildered, as Remy swept out of the room.

XXXXX

"I'm sorry," Hank said, "No one can visit Bobby right now."

Jean Paul crossed his arms, "Again?"

"I know you're getting impatient, my friend," Hank said, "But I'm afraid regulations must be put first."

"Regulations?" Jean Paul scoffed.

Hank smiled apologetically but didn't move from his position in front of the doors of the Med Lab.

Jean Paul sighed and leaned around Hank to peer into the glass.

He couldn't see Bobby because Xavier and Jean were leaning over him.

"When can I visit?" Jean Paul asked.

"I'm not sure." Hank said.

Jean Paul grimaced but turned and left.

XXXXX

Remy stared at his arms.

They were crisscrossed over and over with lines. Some were just scabbing over and other were beginning to lose the purple and black scab and turn into bumpy white scars.

God, his arms were so sore.

Remy clenched his teeth together and started picking off the scabs.

Pain was pain.

He really didn't need anything else. Especially memories.

Really, what had he been thinking? Rogue was probably going to tell everyone what she had seen and everyone would think he was some sort of molester without ever hearing his explanation.

_Dey don' care f' y' explanations,_ a tiny voice said in his head, _Dat's why y' got left in Antarctica._

Remy shivered at the thought of the barren ice lands. He picked at the scabs.

Who the hell cared if he got an infection?

XXXXX

_Day 19_ –Conditions remain the same.

XXXXX

Bobby's eyes snapped open and he looked around frantically.

He reached up to his face and ripped off the oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. He stumbled off the hospital bed, subsequently ripping various tubes and needles out and accidentally knocking a stack of books off a nearby table.

Bobby gasped at the air and staggered three steps before falling to his knees in a dizzy.

He was bent over on the floor, panting when a furry, blue monster in a lab coat ran over to him.

Bobby blinked and stared, and blinked again. Was he hallucinating?

"Bobby!" Said the monster.

_It talks_, Bobby thought. He vaguely wondered why the blue guy's voice seemed so familiar.

He let the furry lab coat guy put him back in the bed and say something to him.

Bobby grinned.

What a strange hallucination.

XXXXX

"He's awake," Hank said excitedly as Xavier, Jean, and Scott rushed down into the room, "Bobby woke up!"

They all sighed in relief and smiled.

"I'll go tell everyone," Jean volunteered, "Face to face,"

Scott went with her and Xavier pushed himself over to Bobby's bed, "When did he awaken?"

"I was in my lab and I heard a crash a few minutes ago. That was just Bobby knocking over some books." Hank said, "He fell asleep once more after I moved him back to the bed. But he's not in a coma."

Xavier nodded and pressed his fingers together, peering over them at Bobby.

"Is there something wrong, Charles?" Hank said.

"Do you recall how Bobby's telepathic shields were impenetrable when he was in his coma?"

Hank nodded.

"They are quite a bit weaker, though still very strong. But I sense the same blankness as before."

Hank looked thoughtful, "Now that you mention it, Bobby didn't seem to recognize me when I was talking to him earlier. He didn't say anything, so I can't be sure… But it is possible he has amnesia."

Xavier and Hank were quiet for a while as they thought of this.

"When he is stronger, Jean and I could always assist Bobby in recovering his memories –that is, if he does have amnesia." Xavier said finally.

"We can only wait until Bobby awakens once more to find out the extent of the damage." Hank said gravely.

XXXXX

The news that Bobby was no longer comatose spread quickly. When the news reached Remy (he overheard Annie informing Jean Paul excitedly), he scowled and wet back home the boathouse.

_Good f' Bobby_, He thought as he entered the boathouse, _Now his friends can talk t' him 'gain. _

Remy snorted. Those people Bobby considered his 'friends' had barely even visited him for the past three weeks.

Shit, he and Jean Paul were probably –_definitely_ the most frequent visitors and Bobby never even really talked to them when he was conscious. It was ridiculous.

Remy sighed and sat down on the couch.

What was he trying to do, anyway?

He'd spent the last few weeks pretending Bobby was a friend of his and visiting him in the Med Lab, he'd tried to become acquainted with Chamber, but that had blown up in his face… Remy was lonely and trying to find company, but in the end, no one was there.

Slowly, Remy rose to his feet and went into the kitchen.

He picked up a knife off the counter and went back into the other room, where he sat down and looked at the blade.

Shiny, silver… he could see his own reflection in it.

What a beautiful piece of work.

His heart began beating faster with excitement.

Remy held the knife out at arm's length and then turned it so the point of the blade faced him.

With one swift moment, Remy brought his arm in and metal pierced flesh.

XXXXX

**A/N: I'm an evil genius. Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought! This chapter was really really short and I'm so sorry! Don't hate me! Also, don't hate me 'cuz I'm bad at angst.**

**REVIEW!**


	5. Remember

**-Disclaimer: Not mine. I mean, yes, I wrote the story, but I don't own the characters. **

**A/N: Let me showcase more of my really bad angst-writing skills. Enjoy! Review! Also, I'd like to thank my third –and anonymous –reviewer. Also, I made up Bobby's birthday, 'cuz I have no idea what the real date is. **

XXXXX

Bobby blinked away his grogginess and looked around.

A very pretty red headed woman was leaning over him. She smiled.

"Er, hi." Bobby said, smiling uncertainly.

"Welcome back," She said, helping him sit up, "What's your name?"

Bobby remembered what the demon-man kept saying, "Robert Drake."

"How old are you?" the woman asked,

Bobby blinked and frowned, "I…"

The woman's brow furrowed in concern, "Can you tell me what happened, Bobby?"

Bobby? Oh, his nickname!

"I… don't know," Bobby said.

"Do you know who I am?"

Bobby shook his head.

"What are the names of your parents?"

"William and Madeline Drake,"

The woman nodded, "What year is it?"

Bobby opened his mouth and then closed it, "I don't know," He said finally, beginning to panic, "I don't know!"

"Alright, calm down, Bobby, deep breaths."

He did as she said.

"Bobby, my name is Jean Grey-Summers." the red-headed woman said. Her voice was slow and soothing, "You've been in a coma for nearly a month, Bobby. That's actually not very long, compared to what it could've been. You have amnesia, Bobby. Do you know what that is?"

"I lost my memory." Bobby nodded, "But I know my name and who my parents are! Where are they, anyway?"

"You are at Xavier's Institute in Westchester, New York, Bobby. You are twenty years old. You were born on March 19, 1991. And I'm afraid your parents have disinherited you." Jean said.

"I know where I am," Bobby said, "But-" he stopped, remembering what else the demon-man had said, "I'm a mutant."

Jean looked at him in surprise, "How do you-?"

"What does that mean? I'm a mutant?"

Jean shook her head, "I'll try and explain later, Bobby. But for now, I want you to tell me everything you know; Dates, names, anything."

"Isn't a doctor or something going to check on me?" Bobby wondered.

Jean smiled, "You're in perfect condition, Bobby,"

He took her word for it and talked. He could remember everything, except…

"It looks like you just don't remember anything from your social life –your life in the Institute."

"Wait!" Bobby said, "I know someone named Remy!"

Jean's eyebrows rose so high they were in danger of disappearing into her hairline, "Remy?" She repeated.

"He –he has a –a French accent?" Bobby said,

"It's Cajun, but that's alright," Jean said, "So. You remember Remy. What do you know about him? What does he look like?"

Bobby decided that panicking wasn't the best solution. So he had amnesia. That had already been established. Okay. No big deal. He could figure things out… "I don't remember." He said, "But I… He's talked to me before. I remember listening to him talk."

"What did he say?" Jean prompted,

Bobby zoned out for a moment as he thought about it. Antarctica… someone named Chamber? Someone else named Rogue? Odd names…

"He read to me. But I can't tell you anything else," Bobby said, "He wouldn't want me to. Remy's my friend, isn't he?"

Jean blinked and said, "Bobby, while you were in a coma, he visited you almost every day, but before then, you haven't ever really been well acquainted."

Bobby frowned, "But… he…"

"Do you want to see Remy? It might help."

"Yes," Bobby replied immediately, nodding.

Jean smiled, "Rest, Bobby, alright? You're still quite weak. I'll go get him." She stood up and propped up some pillows for him to lean back on.

"Thanks," He said, reaching up to untwist the white hospital garb he was wearing. His hand brushed something cold and he looked down, "There's ice… on my chest," He said.

Jean reached over and pulled his clothes up, hiding it from sight, "Nothing to worry about unless it hurts, Bobby. Does it?"

"…No," He said,

"Then don't worry. And don't pick at it." Jean said. She patted his arm and then left the room.

Bobby peered around with curiosity. What an odd hospital room.

XXXXX

"So? How is he?"

Jean was met by Xavier, Scott, Hank, and several other X Men as soon as she walked out of the Med Lab.

"He remembers his name, his parents, and his education, he wasn't sure about his age or the year, but he knows he's a mutant." Jean reported, "He just doesn't know what that is. I told him his birthday and filled in a few other things for him, but Bobby _doesn't_ remember his life at here in the mansion or any of us…"

Everyone began to start asking questions and Jean added loudly, "Except Gambit."

"_What?_" Rogue started,

"He says Remy read to him."

Standing off to the side, Jean Paul frowned. _He_ had read to Bobby, too. He had just finished reading _Frankenstein_ two nights ago! Why didn't Bobby remember _him_?

Hank spoke up, "Gambit spoke to Bobby frequently during his visits. It isn't strange that Bobby may have heard some of the things he said.

"Well what if the swamp rat lied about some stuff?" Rogue said, "Then Bobby would be believin' what isn't true!"

"Bobby only heard Remy reading," Hank said calmly.

Jean refrained from saying that wasn't so, "I'm going to go fetch Remy from the boat house. Bobby wants to see him."

Muttering and talking amongst themselves, the X Men crowding around began to disperse.

"I'll accompany you," Scott volunteered,

"No, it's alright." Jean assured him quickly, "I'll go by myself."

She made her way out of the mansion and down to the boat house.

No one answered when she knocked on the door. That was to expected, of course, "Remy," She called, "Bobby's awake in the Med Lab; he's no longer in his coma. He wants to see you, Remy!"

There was no answer from within and Jean knocked the door again, "Gambit?"

She tried the door knob, but it was locked. This was actually untypical behavior for the thief. Jean knew for a fact that Gambit never locked his room door.

Becoming alarmed, Jean tried peeking in through the window nearby. The blinds were shut.

Jean hurried back to the door and used her telekinesis to unlock it. Then she pushed the door open and burst into the boat house.

It was silent and dark inside and Jean wandered through the front room and into the living room.

Her gaze fell to the limp body on the couch and her hands flew to cover her mouth.

XXXXX

Bobby looked around the empty Med Lab once more.

When was Jean coming?

No sooner had this thought formed than Jean burst into the room.

A group of other people followed her in, including a golden-skinned boy and the blue monster with the lab coat.

Bobby's mouth fell open at the sight of both of these odd looking people.

Then he noticed what the commotion was about.

A short, hairy man and a taller man with red sunglasses lifted a bloodied body onto a hospital bed across the room, where he was promptly attached to a bunch of tubes and machines.

"Elixir!" Someone barked.

The golden-skinned boy moved forward, "I don't know if-"

"Do it!" the short man growled.

The teenager put his hands on the body and the others moved in around him, blocking Bobby's view. He strained his neck but saw nothing.

Jean glanced over at him and quickly walked over, "Remy can't see you right now, Bobby, okay? Maybe later."

He nodded and she smiled quickly before returning to the busy group across the room.

The blue lab coat guy pulled curtains round the bed, blocking the body from view.

There was a lot of talking and then everyone came out into the main room.

The teenage boy with the golden skin looked exhausted and his hands and front were covered in blood.

They all looked relieved, though.

Jean was saying something to the man with red sunglasses, waving her hands wildly.

A woman with black hair pulled back in a neat pony tail walked over, "Hey Bobby, remember me?"

Bobby looked at her and sighed, "I'm supposed to?"

"Well I guess not. My name is Annie Ghazikhanian, I'm the nurse."

Bobby smiled a bit, "Do your patients usually tell you how pretty you are?"

Annie laughed, "You're such a flirt."

Bobby grinned, "Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment,"

Annie rolled her eyes and began checking the basics of him; eyes, nose, ears…

"So what's going on over there?" Bobby finally asked, nodding toward the curtained off area.

Annie glanced over and then looked back at Bobby, "Uh…Nothing to worry about."

XXXXX

Remy was dead.

No, not at the moment, but _he had been_. He had felt the knife run through his chest –had screamed in pain –and then all had gone dark. He had been floating, suspended in a black emptiness. And then he felt a hot tingling sensation flood through his body, originating at his chest, where he had stabbed himself, and suddenly, he wasn't dead anymore.

He also vaguely realized that his arms and throat weren't sore any longer.

Remy opened his eyes.

Considering he'd been dead for nearly twenty hours, he was up quickly, tearing IVs and other wires and needles out of and off his skin.

His clothes were bloody, but his skin was clean of wounds.

Josh Foley's doing, no doubt.

Curse him. Remy would have to leave the estate in order to succeed in taking his pathetic excuse of a life.

Remy swung his legs off the side of the bed and walked out from around the curtain.

The Med Lab was empty except for Bobby, who was sitting up in his bed, staring across the room at Remy.

He paused and then walked carefully over to him, "How y' feelin', Drake?" He said, feeling uncomfortable calling him 'Bobby' now that he was awake.

Bobby blinked, "Are you Remy?" He asked.

"Oui, but-" Remy stopped.

"I can't remember a lot of stuff," Bobby said apologetically, smiling faintly, "It's pretty lame. Plus I have a weird chunk of ice growing on me." He pointed to his chest and Remy recalled the second mutation.

"Y' feelin' _bien_?"

"Am I okay?" Bobby translated loosely, "You're the one who got carried in here covered in blood!"

"Gambit's alive now," Remy said.

Bobby frowned, "No third person. Who are you blaming?"

Remy opened his mouth and then closed it, "Y' … could hear me talkin' t' y' every night?"

"You read _Frankenstein_," Bobby said, grinning. Then he frowned again and shifted into a better position, "You… talked about Antarctica."

"An' y' heard _everyt'in_'?" Remy said.

"Well, this and that," Bobby said. He stared at Remy, "You look… not how I expected."

"What did y' expect?"

Bobby shrugged, "Dunno."

Remy shifted from one foot to the other, "So when de doctor lettin' y' out?"

"The nurse said in a day or two," He said, "Is the doctor that blue guy in the lab coat?"

Remy nodded, "_Oui_," he turned, "Now if y' will excuse me, I have t' go."

"But-"

"Rest, Drake," Remy said, heading out of the Med Lab.

"Wait—" Bobby started.

The doors closed behind Remy.

The Med Lab was quiet and Bobby leaned back against the pillows and sighed, "Stupid memory." He said.

XXXXX

"We don't want you living in the boat house anymore," Jean said.

Remy felt rather unsurprised. He'd guessed that he'd be kicked off the grounds _eventually_.

"-Which is why you have to move back into the mansion." Jean added.

Remy blinked and stared at her with surprise written all over his usually composed features.

"I'd like you to move into the room across the hall from Bobby's, if that's alright. He considers you a friend, Remy…" Jean didn't add that she also wanted to be able to keep track of Remy better –in case he tried killing himself again. Even though they had never been really close (But then again, who had Gambit ever been close to?), she was terrified at the thought of losing him.

"Oui," Remy said, becoming emotionless again, "dat's _bien_."

Jean nodded and smiled faintly, "Excellent. I'll be expecting you to move back in as soon as possible, then."

Remy nodded and shrugged. He started to leave the room.

"Wait, Remy," Jean blurted out.

He turned.

"Don't-" She bit her lip for a moment and continued, "Please don't hurt yourself, Remy,"

Remy stared at her with blank eyes and she wondered if he had really even heard her.

"_Oui_," he said again, "O' course."

Jean shuddered as Remy turned and walked away. That blank stare he had given her… it was so haunting.

Nearly two years ago, those very same red-on-black eyes were so much more… alive.

Remy, Jean decided, was a very good definition of the phrase 'dead-man walking'.

XXXXX

**A/N: Whaaat? It's done already? Yep; sorry folks. I'm trying to wrap up chapters for all of my fanfics right now due to the fact that finals are coming up… Review!**


	6. New Friends

**Disclaimer: I own only the plot and dialogue.**

**A/N: Ah, screw finals. I'm writing. So, I've hit a bit of a dead end. Plot bunnies anyone? Also, has anyone else noticed that Jono, Jean Paul, Remy, and Bobby are like mix-n-match characters? You can find a fic for any pairing you make! Jono/JP, Jono/Remy, Jono/Bobby, Remy/Bobby, Remy/JP, and JP/Bobby ALL work! Amazing!**

XXXXX

"So I can leave?" Bobby smiled.

"You're perfectly healthy, my friend," Hank replied.

Bobby had met the doctor officially the day after he had awoken. He had absolutely no trouble believing that he and Hank were good friends because they clicked right away.

Hank was nice, fun to talk to, and shared Bobby's love for Twinkies.

"I'll show you to your room," Hank said, "We moved Remy into the room across the hall so you would have someone nearby that you remembered."

"I don't think he wants anything to do with me," Bobby mumbled as Hank gave him regular clothes and he changed out of his hospital gown.

"Nonsense," Hank admonished, "Remy always tries to distance himself from the people he cares about. We need to show him that that isn't the way it's done."

Bobby was quiet as he followed Hank out of the Med Lab, "Did he try to kill himself?"

Hank sighed, "He is under strict supervision right now, whether he knows this or not. He was living a little bit away from the mansion in a boathouse, and Jean only discovered him in the nick of time. He tried stabbing himself through with a knife, but missed his heart by two inches." He paused, "Luckily, we have a very powerful healer living in the mansion, and Gambit was saved."

There was a silence.

"Why is he suicidal?" Bobby asked, brow furrowing in concern.

Hank clapped a hand on Bobby shoulder, "He has been through some hard times, but I think that he should be the one to tell you what happened."

Bobby frowned, "Yeah, okay,"

"And here we are," Hank said as they turned onto a new hall, "Your books are still in the Med Lab, but why don't you go on in? It's exactly how you left it."

Bobby opened the door hesitantly.

Everything was so foreign to him –he felt as if he were in someone else's room.

The bed wasn't made and a pillow and an alarm clock were lying on the floor. In the corner of the room was a bookshelf with figurines and stuff animals occupying the very top shelf and books lining the bottom three.

Bobby reached out and touched the edge of a desk in the corner of his room.

_His_ room.

"This is my room," He said out loud.

"What was that?" Hank poked his head in.

"Nothing," Bobby said, turning toward the door, "Can I go meet people now? I mean, re-meet people?"

"Wouldn't you like to rest a little?" Hank hinted.

Bobby shook his head, "I've been sleeping for the past month, according to you," He grinned.

Hank gave in, "Alright, but let Remy show you around," He said, pulling Remy seemingly out of nowhere.

Remy didn't tug his arm out of Hank's furry grasp, but rather, slipped out of it.

Bobby saw the look he wore –so blank and empty –and gulped.

"Um, can't _you_-?" Bobby looked at Hank.

The blue-furred man heaved a sigh, "But alas! Work awaits me in the Medical Lab! No, Remy will be glad to help, won't you?" Hank said.

He nodded slowly and mechanically.

Hank left, leaving Bobby and Remy standing across the doorway.

"Okay, then!" Bobby tried to say cheerfully, "Let's go!"

He stepped out of his room and closed the door. Remy looked at him wearily and then began leading him down the hall.

Bobby followed him, "Are you mad at me or something?" He asked.

"_Non_." Remy replied automatically.

"You're ignoring me, though." Bobby said.

Remy simply continued walking ahead.

"_Remy_!" Bobby said, "You're the only person I remember here! Don't just push me away!"

Remy stopped and looked at Bobby, his dull eyes lighting up hopefully, "Y' mean-?"

"Yeah, be my friend, okay? Show me around and introduce me to people and stuff. I promise I won't leave you." Bobby said,

"So y' really were listenin' all dose nights…" Remy murmured thoughtfully.

"I dunno, it's more like… I just know that stuff. I don't remember hearing you actually say a lot of it…" Bobby sighed, "I don't remember a lot of things, though,"

They took up walking again,

"Y' really promise y' won't ditch Gambit?"

"First person, Remy," Bobby chided immediately, "And yeah, I promise. But you have to promise me something, too."

"_Bien_,"

"Don't ever attempt suicide ever again." Bobby said.

Remy turned to look as Bobby, but the ice mutant continued to stare straight ahead as they walked.

"Promise," Remy said finally.

XXXXX

So Remy gave Bobby the grand tour. He found it ironic, almost, because when he had first arrived, Bobby had been the one to give him a quick tour of the mansion. But now Bobby couldn't remember a thing about his life that had been normal just one month ago.

The other X Men had been told not to crowd Bobby when he was discharged from the Med Lab, and more importantly, not to ask him if they remembered this or that. Xavier and Jean both felt that Bobby should be able to recover his memories naturally, rather than have people tell him things that may or may not be true.

Jubilee, however, being Jubilee, ignored this and ran up to Remy and Bobby as soon as they came down the stairs.

"BOBBY!" she screamed in delight, throwing her arms around him.

He looked at her, startled, as she pulled away, "Um, hi," He said uncertainly. He glanced over at Remy, who just nodded.

"I'm Jubilee!" She said, grinning, "You call me 'Jubes', and I call you popsicle and stuff."

Bobby frowned, "Why?"

"Because you're an ice cube, duh," she rolled her eyes, "Anyway, we're kind of partners in crime," She peered at him, "God, you're so serious. Did you forget your sense of humor or something, too?"

"No!" He said, "I have a sense of humor!"

Jubilee smirked, "Oh really?"

"Don' be havin' him plan pranks already, _petit_," Remy said,

"Wasn't gonna, Gambit," Jubilee said innocently.

She joined Remy and Bobby on their orientation of the mansion, throwing in bits of gossip here in there.

"There's the supply closet," Jubilee pointed as they went down a hall, "but no one really uses it for anything but sex,"

Remy gave her a look.

"What?" She shrugged, "It's true!" She leaned over and said to Bobby, "Wolvie says it stinks like sex all the way down this hall,"

Bobby raised a questioning eyebrow, "Wolvie?"

"Like Wolverine, duh," Jubilee said, "There he is,"

They walked over to Logan, who was listening to Kurt, who was making huge gestures with his hands, rave about something.

"Hey, Logan," Jubilee said, "Hey Kurt,"

They look over at the other group and Kurt smiled gently, "Hello, Jubilation," he said, "Remy –Bobby,"

Remy blinked and stared. No one but Bobby and Jean still called him by his real name. To everyone else, it was Gambit or some other name.

As they walked away, Bobby snorted, "Isn't a Wolverine supposed to be a rodent?"

Jubilee laughed.

XXXXX

Bobby and Remy sat in the Recreation Room that evening watching cartoons. Bobby had already re-met almost everyone in the mansion, and he liked most of them.

Now he just wanted some quiet time to watch TV.

As the show they were watching went onto a commercial break, Jono walked into the room.

He stopped as he found Remy and Bobby sitting on the couch and staring over at him.

/Gambit./ He said icily.

"Chamber," Remy replied coolly.

Jono blinked and then narrowed him eyes. He glanced at Bobby and vaguely recalled that someone had said that Iceman was suffering amnesia.

Turning sharply, he stalked away swiftly.

He walked all the way his –Bobby's –classroom and walked in, turning on the lights. The rest of wing was silent, as it only held classrooms for classes that had been dismissed hours earlier.

Jono sat down at the burnt desk and looked around. Restless, he stood up again and left, heading toward the sublevels of the mansion.

No one was supposed to use the Danger Room during the night, but frankly, Jono didn't care. Other X Men didn't follow that rule anyway, and even though Jono was still technically a GenXer, Jono figured that he could use the Danger Room as well.

It wasn't as if he wanted to actually fight one of the simulations, anyway.

Jono reached up and ripped off the bandages over his chest and face.

Psionic energy danced and sparked around, licking at the air.

It didn't take Jono long to build up a blast, and he let it free.

It hit the wall of the room, which –because of the alien technology installed in the Danger Room –did not burn.

Jono let out another blast of energy, then another, and another until he had not anger or energy left.

He slowly wrapped his black bandages over the chambers of psionic energy and then left the Danger Room.

Why he was so angry, Jono had no idea. He and Gambit had had companionship a while ago, but that had ended quickly, and on a sour note. Maybe it was just seeing them watching television in his usual spot that got him mad.

No –if that were the case, Jono would most likely just sulk.

This was something beyond that.

Jono stopped walking all of the sudden.

Was he _jealous_?

Jono shook his head fiercely.

That was ridiculous! Why the hell would he be jealous?

_'Cos Gambit would rather watch TV with an amnesiac ice cube than with you?_ A voice in the back of his mind suggested.

Scowling, Jono told it to shut up.

He was not jealous.

So what if he didn't have a bloody friend in the world? He was fine!

_No you ain't, amigo._

Funny how the little voice in the back of his head sounded like Angelo.

Jono sat down at the kitchen table, tears filling his eyes as he thought about his deceased friend.

He missed Angelo so much.

Why couldn't he come back to life like Jubilee? Why couldn't he live?

/Fuck,/ Jono choked out miserably, /Bloody fucking hell,/

XXXXX

Bobby went to his room at midnight. He found a pair of Spider Man pajama pants and a ratty t-shirt to wear to bed and as he was about to change into the t-shirt, he paused and stared at the pinkish-white ice on his chest.

He reached up and pressed his fingertips to it.

Suddenly terrified, Bobby quickly pulled on his t-shirt and climbed into bed.

XXXXX

Jean Paul paused in the doorway of the kitchen as he saw Chamber sitting at the table.

The young man suddenly became aware of Jean Paul's presence and whirled around in his seat.

Jean Paul found himself staring into watery brown eyes, surrounded by thick, dark lashes. They reminded him of innocent doe eyes. He wondered if Jono had been crying, or if his eyes had always been naturally watery.

Jean Paul blinked, "Hello," he said simply.

Chamber turned away, /'Allo,/ he said thickly.

Jean Paul walked over to the counter and started the coffee-maker.

Chamber continued to sit at the kitchen table, staring at his hands in deep concentration.

After he Quebecois poured himself a cup of caffeinated coffee, he walked over to the table and sat down, "Do you mind if I join you?" he asked politely.

/No,/

They fell into a comfortable silence, Jono staring at the table and Jean Paul sipping his coffee.

"Don't you sleep?" Jean Paul asked after a while.

/No./ Chamber replied. After a moment he added, /Mutation won't let me./

"At least you will not get nightmares, then, _oui_?" he mused.

/Or dreams,/ Chamber replied.

After another minute, Jean Paul said, "I realize we have never been properly introduced."

Chamber looked up.

"I'm Jean Paul. If you even think about calling me 'JP' or 'Johnny' or 'Paulie-Boy' or anything ridiculous like that, I will hit you before you can even finish."

Chamber snorted, /I'm Jono./ He said, /And no one has ever given me a nickname, so I don't think yer'll be able ter call me one and get hit./

"Then I'll just have to find you one, _non_?" Jean Paul raised an eyebrow.

Jono stared across the table. Finally he said, /I suppose yer will./

Jean Paul smirked faintly, "_Oui_," he agreed quietly.

XXXXX

**A/N: That was a total blah-chapter. Didn't like it at all. Anyway, cut me some slack, I'm juggling three fics at a time. I think that maybe 'Hold Me Tight' will be finished first. Also, I probably won't be updating for a while. Summer vacation starts next week, but I really really need to study for my math final in the meantime. Sorry! And please review!**


	7. Le Cajun vous aime

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, blabbity-blah, the usual…**

**A/N: It's been a while. I went off on a little detour and started a very OOC JP/Bobby songfic series. Smiley faces. Anyway, I still have a different story-voice going, so I'm sorry if this chapter has a different feel than the others… Please review!**

**A/N # 2: It's very strange… I just read a 25-Chapter ROMY fic… and I actually LIKED it. Then again, it did have the cutest JP in it, so… I managed to pull through without losing interest…**

"Ya know when Johnny and Jono suddenly became best friends?" Logan wondered as he chewed on a cigar.

Kurt peered over Logan's head to get a clearer view of Jono and Jean Paul walking down the hall together, exchanging playful banter.

"This does seem to be new," He noted.

"Hmph," Logan grunted in amusement and disposed of the cigar stub.

XXXXXX

/I have a question,/ Jono said suddenly as he watched Jean Paul slowly lick a red popsicle.

He raised an eyebrow, "I have a feeling it's an important one,"

/I might be wrong,/ Jono said carefully,

"_Oui_?"

/Yer like Iceman,/

"That's not a question," Jean Paul said in amusement, biting the top of his popsicle to reveal an ice-cream filling.

/Well do yer?/

"I had no idea you were the type for gossip," Jean Paul said.

/I'm jus' saying… Yer get … _different_ around 'im,/

"Different, hm? How so?"

/Yer haven't answered the bloody question!/ Jono said instead.

"Let's make a deal, _belle_," Jean Paul smirked, prying off a piece of frozen red juice and licking the ice cream below smooth, "I'm good at making deals."

Jono squinted at him, /Alright,/ he said finally, /Wait, wot does _belle_ mean?/

Jean Paul laughed, "beauty and beautiful, among other things, but I meant 'lovely'." He said.

Jono's eyes widened, /Wot-?/

"Don't look so surprised, you have gorgeous eyes," Jean Paul said matter-of-factly, "Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I did have a 'crush' on Robert –as childish as that sounds,"

/Yer _did_ have?/

Jean Paul shrugged and looked thoughtfully out into space, "Well, he's not the same person anymore… He can't remember anything and…" He shrugged again, rolling his eyes as he waved the remnants of his popsicle around in the air.

Jono stared at him for a moment, /I don't believe yer./

"_Qu'est-ce_?" Jean Paul raised an eyebrow.

/Yer haven't even talked ter him –yer haven't even _seen_ him. How do yer know what a little amnesia's done ter 'im?/ Jono clarified.

Jean Paul scoffed, "Your turn for questioning is over. It's my turn."

Jono groaned, /Wot could yer possibly want ter know about _me_?/

"What is going on between you and Remy LeBeau?"

Jono's eyes widened considerably, /Quite straightforward, aren't yer?/

"Answer it," Jean Paul ordered, finishing his popsicle and dropping the stick into the trashcan beside the kitchen counter.

/Nothing./

Jean Paul snorted, "Nothing, or just, nothing, where there should be something? You wish there was something?"

Jono blinked, /I do not!/ he said.

"You hesitated," Jean Paul accused, smirking.

/No, yer 'ead's too thick so the message didn't register at the exact moment I said it,/

Jean Paul burst into laughter, "You wish there was something, _mon ami_!" He snickered.

Jono made a swipe at him, but of course, Jean Paul was too fast and dodged his hand.

/bollocks!/ Jono declared,

"Oh really? Please clarify your meaning, then," Jean Paul said, leaning over the counter.

Jono back at Jean Paul who was blinking innocently at him, /Yer know, yer aren't nearly as uptight as everyone says,/ he said.

"Uptight? _Non_, I just have extremely good posture." Jean Paul said, "Besides, everyone says you wallow in self-pity and never give more than three-syllable answers."

/Yeah? They say that?/

"Jubilee, anyhow," Jean Paul smirked.

/Don't listen ter _anything_ she tells yer,/ Jono said, eyes going wide, /'Cos she's lying./

"Of course," Jean Paul agreed, "How would she know for certain where you have a tattoo?"

Jono's eyes narrowed, /She _didn't_,/

"Mm, but she _did_," Jean Paul grinned evilly.

They stared each other down until a sudden noise off to the side forced them to look away.

The student known as Elixir stood in the door way, staring at them.

Jean Paul leaned back as he realized Josh was zeroing in on the three inches in between Jean Paul's face and Jono's, "Good afternoon, Joshua," Jean Paul said.

"Uh huh," the golden-skinned boy said quickly, "Of course, yeah, sure, mm-hm," He nodded fiercely, his cheeks glowing. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a soda and then practically raced out of the room.

/Yer know, I think there might be something wrong with that boy./ Jono said, stating the obvious, as they stared at the doorway.

"Well he recently discovered that he cannot only heal, but kill as well," Jean Paul answered.

/That's scary./

"_Oui_."

XXXXX

"So I'm an accountant?" Bobby said with amusement as he stared at a plaque next to a classroom. 'Accountancy' it said, with the name 'Bobby Drake' underneath it.

"Dis is y'r classroom," Remy nodded.

Bobby opened the door and looked in, "It's huge,"

"y' have a lot o' kids takin' de class."

"People seriously like it?"

"Well," Remy smiled faintly, "Y' do give dem ice-cream a lot, an' Rem –I heard dat dere ain' a lot o' homework."

"Hm, ice cream sounds nice," Bobby said thoughtfully, grinning, "Hey, why's the desk scorched?" he asked suddenly.

"Eh? Don' know," Remy shrugged nonchalantly.

Bobby closed the door of the class room, "So whose teaching the class right now?"

"Chamber," Remy said as he started walking back down the hall.

Bobby raced after him, "You mean that guy from last night? He didn't really seem to like you, but I thought you were friends."

"What gave y' _dat_ idea?" Remy said darkly.

Bobby frowned, his brow furrowing, "I'm not sure, actually; maybe you mentioned it?"

"Don' recall ever doin' so, _mon ami_," Remy replied moodily.

"Oh c'mon, what's the big deal? What happened? You hafta hate him for a reason!"

"Remy never said dat he hate Chamber," was the snappy response.

Bobby sighed and then hurried to catch up to the Cajun, "Okay, first, what did I say about the third-person point of view? Second, if you don't hate him, why the hell are you acting like you do?"

"I don' –I ain't,"

"Uh-huh," Bobby said, grinning slowly, "So you want to be his friend!"

"Never said dat," Remy replied.

"You wanna be friends! You told me so! I know you did!" Bobby cried triumphanty.

Remy eyed him wearily, "Y' were in a _coma_. T'ings have changed!"

"Yeah, _you_ messed it _up_." Bobby said, stopping Remy in the hall and poking him in the chest.

"Dere was not'in t' mess up!" Remy responded,

"You _wish_ there was something," Bobby said smugly.

"_Vous êtes impossible! Je ne l'aime pas!_" Remy said through his teeth, throwing his hands in the air.

Bobby stared at him and furrowed his brow, "Okay, I have no idea what you just said… um, something about 'impossible', I think?"

"He said that _you_ are impossible," A voice nearby supplied.

Bobby and Remy turned to find that they were standing a few feet away from the kitchen doorway.

Two men stood at a counter inside.

One of them was Chamber, whom Bobby recognized from the night before, and the other was a black-and-silver-haired man that Bobby probably knew, but couldn't ever recall seeing before.

Bobby smiled uncertainly, "Oh, hi," he waved, "Didn't notice you; sorry,"

He walked into the kitchen, reaching out and snagging Remy's trench coat just as the Cajun made for an exit.

"I didn't meet you guys yesterday. Officially, I mean. You're Chamber?" Bobby smiled and extended his hand to the bandaged young man.

/Call me Jono,/ he nodded, taking Bobby's hand politely, /And yer won't have ter worry about rememberin' me; we never officially met, anyway,"

"That's one person," Bobby responded good-naturedly.

He looked at the silver-haired man next to him.

"Jean-Paul Beaubier," the man smiled tightly, shaking Bobby's hand quickly,

"Nice to meet you… again?" Bobby raised an eyebrow uncertainly.

"_Oui_," Jean Paul said.

"Oh, you're French? Awesome, you can translate for me when Remy decides to be a prick." Bobby grinned. He grabbed the Cajun's arm (Remy was standing off to the side, edging toward the exit) and waved to Jean Paul and Jono, "Nice meeting you," he said.

Jono turned to Jean Paul as Bobby and Remy disappeared, /So? Yer think Iceman's still the same bloke?/

Jean Paul blinked and looked at the younger man, "_Oui_. On a different note, it appears that he seems to believe Gambit _vous aime_,"

/Come again?/ Jono did an eye-frown, squinting his eyes and staring,

"He believes that Gambit _likes_ you," 

/Sod off!/ Jono retorted immediately.

"_Non_! He said it in French, so I should know!"

/Yer makin' up; 'e said no such thing!/

"He did, I swear to it,"

/I'm not havin' this conversation anymore,/ Jono declared, looking away.

"_Le Cajun vous aime…_" Jean Paul sang softly.

/Enough wit' the French!/ Jono snapped.

"Hmph," Jean Paul smirked,

/Look, I don't like Gambit. So end of conversation. _Oui_? _Comprende_? Got it?/

"Oui," Jean Paul said, his lips twitching, "Though you should know that I do not speak Spanish, so there is no point in using it."

/Anyway, what're you pestering me for? You're the gay one,/

"Gambit is far too … self-hating… for me. Gorgeous, yes, but a too dark. Not my type." Jean Paul said nonchalantly, waving his hand in dismissal.

/Yeah? An' wot's yer type? Iceman-type?/ Jono said.

"Somehow I knew you were going to say that," Jean Paul sighed.

XXXXX

"Lighten up!" Bobby said, stalking after Remy, "I said I was sorry, but is it really a big deal? Remy!"

"Y' don' know anyt'in'! Don' tell me how it is!"

"I'm amnesiac, not fucking stupid, Rem," Bobby said, "Remy, listen to me!"

"Gambit don' listen t' no one!" Remy shouted over his shoulder and he disappeared around the corner.

Bobby stared at the place the Cajun had disappeared, "Damn it," he muttered.

"Don't worry, he'll just sulk for a few hours," Jubilee said cheerfully, walking up next to him, "What happened, anyway?"

"Nothing," Bobby replied.

"Hm, well, are you going to go after him and try and apologize about nothing again?" Jubilee wondered.

"No," Bobby sighed.

"Great," she clapped her hands together, "Then I need your help! We're putting green dye in Warren's shampoo!"

**A/N: Short, short, short, I know. I just wanted to write something light for this chapter…**

**Review… I need to find a way to begin finishing this so I can start a new fanfic that I have in my head.**


	8. Got A GF, JP?

**Disclaimer: Damn the man.**

**A/N: I think I may be developing insomnia. Also, I think I might be afraid of sleeping… anyway, here's iCrily (as I have now abbreviated this story title. Geddit –iCarly, iCrily? Har har. No?) chapter eight. It's been too long.**

**A/N: It has occurred to me that when I watch a movie or look at a picture, the first thing I comment about a person is whether or not I like their hair…**

* * *

><p>Bobby didn't know a whole lot these days, but one thing he knew for certain was that his friendship with Remy was going to have a few bumps along the road.<p>

He had convinced Remy to forgive him for now, but as long as he was set on figuring out what was going on between Remy and Jono (because he was _positive_ there was something) there would be trouble ahead.

Meanwhile, Bobby was making sure that he got to know everyone.

He decided that he really like Jean. She could be found in the kitchen a lot, even though the only thing she was good at cooking were pancakes for breakfast. Jean always had a story to tell about the X-Men's adventures. She never mentioned what part Bobby played in any of them, though.

Hank was cool, too. He talked funny in a sophisticated way, which was usually amusing but made his lectures very boring and difficult to understand.

Jubilee was a unique sort of creature. She was like a more energetic, younger, and female version of Bobby. They quickly became partners in crime after the Green Warren incident.

Speaking of Warren, Bobby thought the man was pretty nice. He acted a lot like the responsible big-brother type but he was cool, too. He didn't really seem to think all that highly of Remy, but then, Bobby noticed that not a lot of people did.

He particularly didn't like the way Rogue always shot the Cajun dirty looks. Sure, she was totally hot, but she was always muttering under her breath and glaring whenever she passed by and one time Bobby could have_ sworn_ he'd heard, "child-molesting pervert" but what the hell did that have to do with anything?

And the memories. All of those things that he should remember… his life with the X-Men was like a giant white hole in a painting of his life.

There were times, though, when he was just sitting around, where he felt an odd sense of déjà vu or otherwise like something seemed very familiar.

For instance, Bobby was currently sitting shirtless in the Med Lab, awaiting a check-up with Hank.

Hank came around the corner and suddenly he remembered.

"_You look troubled, my friend," Hank said as Bobby hopped onto one of the examination tables. _

_"I am," He said, swinging his legs._

"_Care to indulge?" Hank asked as he bustled about the lab._

_Bobby watched him and said, "Hank, you're my best friend,"_

"_I know that, Robert," Hank chuckled, turning around. He frowned a little, "This must be something big, if you need to be reassured of our friendship,"_

_Bobby sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I dunno, it's just, I'm…"_

Bobby blinked and looked at Hank, "I think I remembered something." He said.

"Really? That's fantastic," Hank smiled.

"Yeah…" Bobby said vaguely as he allowed Hank to examine the patch of ice on his chest.

"What did you remember?" Hank asked.

"It wasn't much… I was sitting here and I guess I was kind of upset… I was going to tell you something…"

"Well, you do come down here a lot when you have something on your mind… Sorry, did that hurt?" Hank asked as Bobby winced when he poked at the edge of the ice.

"No… it was just a bit sensitive," he replied, "Anyway, I remember asking if you were my best friend. I mean, I didn't ask, technically, I guess, but it was sort of like a question."

Hank paused and nodded, "I think I know what you're talking about." He said, "It was actually the morning of the day you went into a coma."

"Seriously? What happened? What did I tell you?"

Hank gave him a look, "You know you're supposed to be remembering these things for yourself, Bobby."

"_Please_?" Bobby whined.

Hank sighed, "You never said, Bobby. Scott called you on your pager to train a few students just as you were about to tell me. Now hold out your arm, please, I need to take a few blood samples."

* * *

><p>Bobby opened the freezer and immediately spied a container of ice cream. There was a yellow sticky-note attached to it, and he took the ice cream out to see what it said.<p>

"Property of Iceman," he read aloud, "Touch this and you'll have frozen underwear for a month. Smiley face. P.S: I mean it."

Smiling at the note he couldn't remember writing, Bobby opened the ice cream container and grabbed a spoon from the drawer for silverware.

He had just seated himself at the kitchen table when he vaguely recalled icing Scott Summers –Jean's husband's –underwear. The look on his teenage face had been priceless.

Snorting, Bobby dug into his ice cream.

"I didn't know that eating was so funny for you,"

Bobby looked up to see Jean-Paul leaning against the doorway. He grinned, "Nah, I was just remembering something."

Jean-Paul walked over to the table and sat down across from Bobby. He smiled (for the first time Bobby could remember seeing, and God, that smile was amazing… waitasecond, did Bobby just-).

"That's excellent. It's only been a few weeks," Jean-Paul said, interrupting Bobby's thoughts.

"Yeah. I mean, it's nothing really, just a prank from a few years ago, I guess, but it's still good, right?"

"Absolutely," Jean-Paul assured him.

Bobby beamed and then took another spoonful of ice cream.

He looked at Jean-Paul for a moment an then said, "You seem like a nice guy. You have a girlfriend?"

Jean-Paul's mouth fell open, but Bobby didn't notice as he poked his ice cream with his spoon.

If anyone else had said something like that, Jean-Paul might've snapped something _extremely_ rude. But this was Bobby, and he was going to let this pass, because he probably didn't even remember that Jean-Paul was gay… then again, he wasn't sure Bobby even knew in the first place. He could be quite oblivious.

By the time Bobby looked up for an answer, Jean-Paul had composed himself.

"No, I don't," He shook his head.

"Really? Hey, d'you know if I had a girlfriend?" Bobby wondered.

"You didn't, actually. Sorry."

"Eh, no big deal," Bobby shrugged and ate some more ice cream. He swallowed the spoonful and grinned, "This stuff is _really_ good,"

"Well you do seem to eat it a lot,"

Bobby choked, "Don't tell me you don't like _ice cream_!"

Jean-Paul rolled his eyes, "It has too much sugar,"

"Hey!" Bobby said, waving his spoon at Jean-Paul, "Sugar is _good_ for you."

"Funny, Jubilee seems to think the same thing. Which is why you both will have hyperglycemia in another year or two."

"Say what now?" Bobby raised his eyebrows.

"High blood sugar. It can be quite damaging if not treated, I hear."

Bobby looked down at his ice cream and then at Jean-Paul, "You're bluffing,"

He shrugged, "Maybe. I mean I'm not the doctor here, _oui_? I suppose you could always ask Hank." With that, Jean-Paul slid out of his seat and left the kitchen, throwing an "I'll leave you to your ice cream," over his shoulder as he did so.

* * *

><p>Bobby fidgeted in his seat as Xavier rolled his wheelchair around the desk. Jean was perched on the windowsill nearby, legs crossed but leaning forward intently. The Professor stopped in front of Bobby and said, "Now, Robert, you know that this is just a little mind probe. It won't hurt so you needn't be worried."<p>

He nodded, "I know, I'm just nervous anyway."

"It's important to find out what caused you to send the whole mansion into unconsciousness without any other telepaths sensing anything beforehand." Jean said.

"I know, I know," Bobby sighed.

"Alright, Robert, I'm going to ask that you clear your mind and relax." Xavier instructed.

Bobby sighed again and took a deep breath, exhaling and relieving himself of tension.

And then the Xavier and his office and Jean were all gone, and it was like was watching a movie of his life and it was locked on fast-forward.

One moment he was just arriving at Xavier Institute, Scott giving him a tour of the place, then he was welcoming Hank to the mansion (who was lacking blue hair back then)…

Time flew; faces flickered by: Warren, Jean, Wolverine, Storm, some he didn't recognize –some that he _knew_ he should – and then Rogue, Remy, Polaris, Havok, Annie… The 'movie' began to slow down. Bobby was standing in a hallway, Remy smiling hopefully –uncertainly –at him. He was looking at Jono and Jean-Paul sitting in the kitchen, Jean-Paul smirking. Then everything went into rewind. There was flash of white and then that _demon_ was standing over him, with strangely blue eyes that contradicted the red skin and white hair… blue eyes that stared down into his own…

"Goodbye, Robert Drake." And the sword came down.

Bobby gasped and blinked; he was back in Xavier's office. "That was a _little_ mind probe?" he choked out.

Xavier rolled backwards a distance and frowned, looking troubled, "I'm sorry, Robert, I didn't expect that."

There was a silence and then Jean spoke up, "Well that was certainly… interesting."

Xavier nodded slowly, "That would be one way to put it. Bobby, can you tell me if you recognize the man we saw at the end?"

"Well, yeah, I mean… no, I don't know who he is, but when I was in a coma I had this weird dream, y'know? And he kind of killed me –well, you saw what happened."

"May I see the memory?"

Bobby nodded and relaxed once more.

_He was racing along the empty hallway of the mansion. He turned the corner. Another hall –the ceiling tall, the end seeming miles away._

_A metallic clang echoed in the distance and Bobby began running again._

_Several minutes passed. Was the hallway getting longer? Was the ceiling getting higher?_

_Bobby felt suffocated somehow, seeing all this room._

_Enormous relief flooded over him as he spotted a door off to the left. He ran over and opened it._

_A blinding light erupted from inside and Bobby was knocked off his feet_. _A cold, numb feeling spread throughout his body. Suddenly a wave of white-hot pain coursed through him. Bobby screamed._

_It was too much. Where did it all come from? Bobby only opened the door to escape whatever was following him. Another jolt of pain followed the first. It was like his blood was on fire… _

_He could hear blood pumping in his ears. The metallic clang was getting closer…_

_Bobby forced his eyes open. _

"_Hello, Robert Drake," The man (was it a man or a demon?) with the fiery-red skin and long white hair said, "You need to stop running."_

_Bobby stared up at him in terror, "Who-?"_

"_Never mind, Robert Drake. I'm here to help you." He pulled a sword out of somewhere beneath his black cloak and raised it over his head, "Good bye, Robert Drake," He said, bringing it down._

_Everything turned white and then—_

_Bobby looked around nervously. He was standing in the middle of a vast white plain, and he was cold, "Hello?" He called out._

_"Robert Drake."_

_He whirled around and stared at the white haired, red skinned demon of a man suddenly standing behind him, "Y—you killed me!" he gasped._

_The man shook his head, "I saved you,"_

"_Who are you?" Bobby whispered, edging away._

"_That does not matter."_

"_Where am I? Am I in Hell? Is this Hell?" Bobby panicked, looking around frantically._

_"You are in a medical lab in Westchester, New York." The demon-man said calmly. _

_"What? Why? I live in Michigan!" Bobby cried._

"_No, Robert Drake. You are a mutant and you live in Westchester."_

"_How did I get here? Why aren't there any people?"_

"_You're aren't awake," The demon man answered."_

"_This is a dream?"_

"_In a way,"_

"_What d'you mean 'in a way'? This is either a dream, or it's not-"_

_The demon man shook his head again, "Wake up, Robert Drake," He said instead._

"Told you," Bobby said as the memory faded away.

"I have a theory." Jean announced, "I was studying that man, trying to figure out what seemed so familiar about him, and I realized –he looks kind of like Bobby."

Bobby looked at her in disbelief, but the Professor nodded thoughtfully, "You think that maybe he was Bobby's subconscious way of explaining everything?"

"How does a red guy explain everything?" Bobby grumbled.

"I noticed that he kept addressing Bobby by his full name. Maybe his subconscious knew that he would suffer amnesia when he woke up, so it created a figure to remind Bobby of who he was."

"Yeah, but why would I do that?" Bobby interjected.

Xavier answered: "Because all of this may have been your body and mind's way of dealing with your second mutation."

"What, you mean the patch of ice on my chest?" Bobby raised his eyebrows.

The Professor nodded.

"Bobby," Jean said suddenly, "Have you used your powers since you woke up?"

"Well, no, actually…" Bobby said.

"That might be for the best." Xavier said, "Robert, I'm going to ask you to continue refraining from using your abilities until we can learn more about this second mutation of yours. From past experiences, I know that they aren't always a good thing, and if your body and mind forced itself into a coma just to deal with it, we must remain cautious."

"Wait, whadaya mean 'not always a good thing'? Am I going to die or something?" Bobby panicked.

"That's a little extreme, Bobby," Jean winced, "But just don't ice up or anything until we can be sure it won't be damaging to your health."

"I think this session has come to an end," Xavier declared after a moment of silence, "We haven't uncovered the reason behind the whole mansion's blackout, but we did learn more about your … condition." He moved over to behind his desk and said, "This was a big step today in figuring everything out. I'll see you again in two days, shall I?"

Bobby nodded and stood up, "Thanks, Professor,"

"My pleasure, Robert –and keep trying to remember things," Xavier said as Jean and Bobby filed out of the office.

* * *

><p>Remy LeBeau was a master thief –a lady's man –a total charmer…<p>

Remy LeBeau wondering why he wasn't dead, and why no one _cared_ that he wasn't dead. Hell, he had died, hadn't he? Shoved a silver blade through his chest? But no, one touch from the golden-skinned X-Baby and he was alive again, gone from the Med Lab in ten minutes, and living life again like nothing had happened.

Remy sat on his bed, staring into the darkness. Pushing up his sleeve, he saw his skin was perfectly smooth and unscarred. In fact, every single scar he had ever earned from any fight was gone. Years of life gone without a trace to remember it by.

It made him feel empty.

Maybe he was being too pessimistic.

He should've seen it as a new beginning, not the end.

It was _supposed_ to be the end, though. You don't bring someone back from the dead if they died on _purpose_. Why, Remy should just—

/Don't even think of it Remy LeBeau./ Jean's voice broke through his thoughts.

Scowling, Remy muttered, "Get outta my head."

It wasn't the first time Remy had thought about his death and quick resurrection, but that was the first time Jean had made it known she was listening.

Remy stood up just as Bobby knocked on the door. He knew it had to be Bobby –who else would come looking for him, anyway?

"Hey, Remy!" Bobby grinned as the door was opened.

Remy stepped out into the hall and closed the door to his room. He stared steadily at Bobby before saying, "What's wrong?"

Bobby's smile dropped immediately and he sighed, "There's no fooling you, huh?"

"_Non_."

They began walking.

"Well, let's see," Bobby said, "I just had a little mind-probing session with the Professor and Jean, and apparently I can't use my powers until they decide whether or not my second mutation will kill me."

Remy raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"My skin is turning into ice." Bobby clarified.

"An' y' might die?" Remy suddenly panicked at the thought.

"Well, that's the worst-case scenario, obviously," Bobby replied glumly.

"An' best-case scenario is dat everythin's _bien_ an' it's nothin'." Remy said.

"Well, yeah."

"Let's hold on t' de best-case scenario, den, _oui_?" Remy said.

"Sure," Bobby shrugged.

Remy looked at Bobby, slouching, moping. He tugged on the ice mutant's sleeve, pulling him down the staircase, "Let's go int' town."

"Why?" Bobby asked.

"Y' been holed up in de mansion f' a month. Y' need t' get out –we can go t' de movies, have some fun."

Bobby grinned, worries pushed to the back of his mind, "Sounds good."

* * *

><p>Jubilee bounced through the rooms of the mansion energetically. "Johnny!" She exclaimed upon spotting Jean-Paul stretched across a couch in the empty Recreation Room. She noticed Jono sitting in the armchair nearby, watching the cooking channel with an expression of extreme boredom. "And Jono, too!"<p>

She pounced at the couch where Jean-Paul was lying, and he sat up just as he landed on the area his stomach had been. "I need someone to drive me into town. I want to go shopping."

"That's great," He said, uninterested.

"Will you drive me?" She asked.

"_Non_. Ask someone else."

"I can't!" She said, "Everyone else with a car took them out and Gambit's already taken Logan's car, so stealing it is not an option, and I don't have a car, so you're the only person left, and I would've stolen _your _car, but I don't know where you keep your damn keys, and I asked Gambit last week, but he said he never bothered looking, and I _really_ need to go into town because there's a bunch of sales and if I can't go shopping, I'll _die_."

Jean-Paul looked unfazed, "How touching."

/Yer should 'ave left out the part about stealing his car if yer could, Jubes./ Jono advised from his seat.

"I wanna go into town!" Jubilee repeated.

"Walk." Jean-Paul snapped.

"Okay, now you're just being an asshole." Jubilee complained.

Jean Paul sprang to his feet, "Fine! Let's go! _Vous voulez aller magasiner? Je vous prendrai du _shopping!_ Putain de merde, ma fille, nous allons aller en ville! Je jure devant Dieu, vous êtes si ennuyeux et je n'ai pas besoin de ce droit maintenant!_" He ranted as he pulled Jubilee out of the room.

Jono trailed after them in amusement.

Jean-Paul slammed the driver's door shut and pulled out of the garage of the X-Mansion.

"Can I sit shotgun?" Jubilee asked cheerfully.

"_Non_. Get in the back." Jean-Paul snapped.

Jubilee grumbled and slide into the backseat while Jono climbed into the passenger seat. Jean-Paul looked back at Jubilee and said, "_Put on your seat belt, Jubilation_!"

"Okay, okay!" She retorted, strapping in.

A moment later, Jean-Paul sped down the driveway and past the gate of Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Not much of a cliffhanger there, but I figured I might as well end the chapter there. This was kind of fluffy at the end, and we know that there will be some fun in the next chapter, when the Bobby&Remy and JP&Jubes&Jono (Hey! Triple J!) encounter in town. Please review!**


	9. Icecream

**A/N: It's been a while. I know. My bad; I've been reading fanfics more than I've been writing them. **

**Here's chapter nine.**

Jean-Paul had a headache.

Who wouldn't, of course, if Jubilee had been yapping away at _them_ for the last two hours? Jono seemed perfectly fine, though. Then again, he had lived with Jubilee for years beforehand, and had probably grown immune to her talking.

Jean-Paul wondered how many more years it would take on his part to form immunity toward Jubilee…

"I'm hungry," she announced as she set a shirt back on a clothes rack, "Let's get ice cream."

He didn't even groan. By now, Jean-Paul was _way_ past groaning. This was a nightmare.

Jubilee bought the items she had already picked out and they headed out of the department store. Jean-Paul and Jono trailed after Jubilee with their hands stuffed into their pockets and Jean-Paul vaguely realized that this made Jubilee seem more like the teenager she had been when she first arrived rather than the young adult she was now.

They crossed the street and stepped into the ice-cream parlor and the first thing Jubilee did was squeal, "Bobby!"

Jean-Paul's eyes snapped over to the booth that Jubilee was heading over to. Bobby and Remy were seated on one side together, looking awfully relaxed. Bobby was even eating ice cream from a dish. But he was always eating ice cream.

Jean-Paul felt a twinge of jealousy, seeing how comfortable the two looked, and he realized that it was ridiculous of him to feel that way… but it couldn't be helped.

"Hey!" Bobby grinned at them and waved.

Jono reached out and touched Jean-Paul's arm, /I'm going ter … wait outside./ he said quietly.

Jean-Paul looked from Jono and then discreetly over to where Remy was sitting on the inside of the booth, staring at Jubilee as she talked, but not quite paying attention.

"Go ahead," Jean-Paul nodded.

"Where's Jono going?" Jubilee asked as Jean-Paul slid into the booth next to her.

"He needs to get away from you, obviously." He replied,

"So, Jubilee roped you into coming here, did she?" Bobby grinned at Jean-Paul.

"She won't be stopped when she puts her mind to it," He sighed in return.

"I'm amazing like that!" Jubilee declared.

"You're _annoying_ like that." Jean-Paul retorted.

A waitress came by, "Anything I can get for you?"

"Ice-cream special, please." Jubilee grinned charmingly

The elderly woman nodded and turned to Jean-Paul, "Anything for you, dear?"

He sighed, "the same, please."

As the waitress walked away, Jean-Paul noticed Bobby staring at him with an oddly smug expression. "No one can resist ice cream." The ice mutant remarked cheerfully.

"I have a headache." Jean-Paul replied self-righteously.

Bobby grinned.

Jean-Paul was almost blown away by how genuine and _bright_ it seemed.

They lasted on small talk until the ice cream came, but then it was Jubilee who did most of the talking.

Jean-Paul was really trying to _not_ concentrate on what she was saying, while Bobby did the complete opposite. Jean-Paul had the feeling Remy wasn't even with them at all. He kept glancing out the window and then down to his hands and then at Bobby's shirt and then back out the window.

The icon of restlessness.

When everyone had finished eating, they continued to sit in the booth. "Well, I should go check on… Jono." Jean-Paul announced.

Was he imagining the look of disappointment in Bobby's eyes? They hadn't actually been talking all that much, after all.

"Yeah, sure," Bobby nodded, "Remy and I should be going, too. See you back at the mansion?"

"_Oui_."

"See ya, then," Bobby grinned.

Jean-Paul stood and glanced toward Jubilee, who said, "I'm gonna stay and hang out with Bobby."

He nodded silently and headed out of the diner.

Jono was sitting on the rail of the staircase at the shop next door, and didn't notice Jean-Paul approach him.

"So," Jean-Paul said loudly, provoking a startled jump out of the Brit, "You have been sitting out here for an hour and a half?"

/Yes./

"You were avoiding Gambit, _non_?" Jean-Paul said.

/Yes./ Jono sighed.

"And you still aren't going to tell me what's going on –_went on_ –between you two?" Jean-Paul asked.

Jono looked up at Jean-Paul, /there _wasn't _anything./ he insisted.

Jean-Paul rolled his eyes, "_Right_." He pulled Jono off the rail and clapped him on the shoulder, "We should head back." He said.

**A/N: Sorry this was so short. I'm just blanking out on the plot. Any suggestions? What do you want to see? Review.**


	10. Breath, My Friend Be Alive

**Disclaimer: …I don't waaaaant to!**

**A/N: Chapter ten. May I say, "WOOHOO!" ? Sorry for the wait. I was seriously having writer's block. :( So review, and I might get inspired! ^^**

* * *

><p>"How are you, Robert?"<p>

Bobby pondered the question. How was he? What did the professor really mean? How are you feeling? How are you doing?

"I'm good." He replied after a moment.

"That's good." Xavier nodded. "Today we are meeting in the medical laboratory because we are going to discuss your condition."

"Which part?" Bobby asked.

"Well, Hank will be working on the physical aspects" –Bobby rubbed a hand against his shirt where he could feel ice underneath –"so I will be working on your mind. Your subconscious, to be exact."

"You mean that red guy?"

Xavier nodded, "As you know, a few weeks ago, the entire mansion was hit by a psychic blast during one of your seizures, and we were all unconscious for hours."

"And the theory is that _I_ did that." Bobby said.

"Not _exactly_ you. Some part of you, but not you." Xavier corrected.

"That makes no sense, professor."

"Hopefully it will later on." He replied, rolling his chair around the examination table that Bobby was sitting on. "Now, clear your mind, please."

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Bobby asked.

"I'm just going to do a little mind probe first." Xavier assured him, "I'll simply be looking through any memories that may have surfaced."

Bobby rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I remember the _last_ 'little' mind probe. But fine, I'm ready." He exhaled steadily and shifted on his perch before closing his eyes.

Xavier closed his own eye in concentration and reached out to Bobby's mind. He was sucked in immediately, and memories flickered by quickly.

Jean-Paul eating ice cream… Remy driving Logan's car…

Xavier searched for older memories.

Bobby and Jean-Paul sitting in the kitchen… Jean-Paul was smiling at him and Bobby was thinking that it looked very nice…

Xavier pushed past that memory, too, though he filed it away for further examination later on. The Professor arrived at a few hazy, unclear memories of past pranks… most were on Warren and Scott…

He discovered Bobby's memory of a conversation with Hank, and then…

"_C'mon, Bobby! Tell men what's wrong…" Jubilee said, shaking Bobby by the arm._

_ "Nothing –I'm _fine_." He insisted._

"_Bobby, you've been all anti-social for the past month."_

"_Anti-social?"_

_ "Yeah. It's like the only time you interact with me or even the rest of the team is during missions, Danger Room sessions… Dude, now that I think about it, you don't even come to _dinner_ with us anymore-" Jubilee said._

_ "Okay, okay! Jubes, I get it. But I'm trying to … I'm reassessing my life. It's a phase." Bobby said._

_Jubilee put her hands on her hips and leaned over, squinting at him, "It's a phase? A _phase_? Oh _wow_. A _phase."

_ "Yes, Jubilee, a _phase_! I think we've made that clear!" Bobby snapped._

_She straightened up, "Well excuse me if I'm worried! You're my best friend!" _

"_I don't want your concern!" He retorted, standing up and towering over Jubilee. "And I don't need it!"_

_ "Fine! I'll just go away. I don't want to talk to you anyway –if you're going to be an asshole." Jubilee snapped back at him, turning on her heel and stomping out of the Recreation Room._

_ Bobby dropped back down onto the couch after she disappeared through the doorway. He closed his eyes and let out a loud exhale as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb._

Xavier opened his eyes as the memory faded away. He met Bobby's eyes and waited for his student to say something first.

"I had a fight with Jubilee? I can't believe I yelled at her like that" he said, looking horrified with himself.

"I do believe this argument took place the very week you became comatose. This is very good progress, Robert."

"But I don't even remember what I was making a big deal about."

"Nevertheless, we now know that something was bothering you for a month before everything happened." Xavier insisted.

"You think whatever I was upset about had something to do with what happened?" Bobby wondered.

"It's a definite possibility." Xavier said.

Bobby opened his mouth to say something, but a sudden sensory overload cut him off. He could vividly recall a bright, sunny meadow. It was surprisingly quiet there, and he was staring up at a clear blue sky. The scene flashed by and Bobby found himself looking into familiar, sharp blue eyes. He blinked and found himself in the Med Lab once more.

"Robert?" Xavier said, concerned. He could tell that his student was shaken by something, but he tended not to use his telepathy on his students where he wasn't first invited.

"I –I… Can we do this a different day?" Bobby asked, meeting his mentor's eyes. The ice mutant's own eyes had such a troubled look to them, Xavier could only nod reluctantly.

Bobby hopped off the examination and raced out of the lab. He ran through the halls, heart pounding in his chest, breath turning into short gasps for air. The next thing he knew, he was bent over, catching his breath, outside Jean-Paul's class room.

He squeezed his eyes shut, panting hard. Blood pounded in his ears.

"_Bobby, why are you smiling?"_

"_I'm with you."_

_ The sunny meadow and the picnic disappeared. _

_Bobby was running through a hall. The ceiling was sky-high and the hall itself seemed to stretch on forever. _

_ There was something following him. Something horrible._

_Bobby kept going, though. It was growing darker and darker. Eventually, Bobby couldn't even see what was right in front of him._

_ But he kept running. _

_He looked around in the dark, and suddenly spied a door surrounded in light off to the side. Bobby veered toward it, and he could here happy sounds of laughter coming from inside. His hand was about to touch the golden door knob when an icy hand grabbed hold of his ankle and yanked him down_

_ Bobby screamed and kicked frantically as he was pulled away from the light…_

…

"Robert? Robert!"

He managed to snap his eyes open, and he discovered that he was lying on the ground, with Jean-Paul leaning over him. He turned his head to the side and briefly caught sight of Jean-Paul's students peeking out from the doorway of the classroom before their teacher shooed them back inside and blocked them from view.

"Bobby, what happened?" Jean-Paul demanded, "We heard you scream-"

"I didn't scream…" Bobby said, sitting up, disorientated. His eyes were still open this time when the scenes flashed before his eyes:

_The icy force was dragging him further into the darkness. It was like the cold blackness was seeping into him, infecting his body and mind. _

_ Bobby shouted wordlessly as he felt the darkness begin taking over… He closed his eyes, waiting for it to be over…_

"_ROBERT DRAKE!"_

_ His eyes flew open and he saw the red-skinned man standing over him. The darkness was suddenly gone, and he could see again._

_ "Save yourself." The demonic looking creature said before bringing down a silver blade over him._

_ Bobby screamed._

_Everything went white._

…

His eyelids fluttered open and Bobby groaned. He sat up and clutched his head, which was throbbing painfully.

"Jean-Paul!" He exclaimed in alarm upon seeing his team mate sprawled on the ground next to him, "Wake up!" He urged, shaking the French-Canadian's shoulder. He bent over Jean-Paul and pressed his ear to the other's chest, searching for a heartbeat. He breathed sigh of relief upon finding one.

His relief was short-lived. Bobby looked up to see students lying unconscious in the doorway of the class room. Somewhere in the horrified chaos going on in his mind, a small voice spoke up, reminding him that apparently this had happened to the mansion once before, when he was comatose.

"Jean-Paul," Bobby said, shaking him harder, "Jean-Paul!" He looked around helplessly, unsure of what he ought to do.

Fortunately, Jean-Paul decided to stir around just then. He groaned, but then snapped awake at once, gasping, "Bobby!"

"Yeah, I'm right here." Bobby nodded, "I'm here." He gave a short laugh filled with relief.

The Quebecois sat up slowly, "What happened…?" His eyes darted around the area and he noticed his unconscious students nearby. He scrubbed a hand over his face, "Again?" He said mostly to himself.

"I don't know what happened. But I think I probably did it." Bobby said apologetically.

Jean-Paul waved his words away, "Let's take care of the students first. You wake up these ones, and I'll find the others and wake them up…"

They climbed to their feet and Bobby nodded, turning to the classroom.

"Wait," Jean-Paul let out before he could stop himself. Bobby looked back at him. "Are you alright?" Jean-Paul asked.

"I'm fine." Bobby assured with a shrug, "Go worry about the rest of the school." He gestured for the Quebecois to get a move on.

Jean-Paul zipped through the halls and classrooms, shaking one person awake so they could take care of their class or the people around them.

Jean had been sitting at the kitchen table when everything had happened, but the moment she was awake, she groaned, rubbed her temple and gasped. "Someone's in the Danger Room!" She said as a hand flew to her mouth.

He didn't wait to listen for more information; Jean-Paul darted away through the halls, sending papers on bulletins flying as he passed them. He really hoped the Danger Room hadn't been on any levels higher than four –otherwise there wouldn't even be a body to collect.

The room was locked.

Jean-Paul hit the button to open the door over and over, but kept getting denied access. His fingers flew over the panel on the wall, trying to find out if the room was running a sequence or not.

**SEQUENCE: ARTILLERY FREESTYLE **

**SEQUENCE TIME: 10 MIN. LEFT**

**LEVEL: 5**

**SAFETY: OFF**

**USER: CHAMBER –JONOTHAN STARSMORE**

"_Non!_" Jean-Paul cried, hitting the panel. "Voice command Northstar: stop sequence!" He yelled.

** COMMAND LOCKED BY USER**

"Override command! Override!" Jean-Paul said frantically.

**OVERRIDE COMMAND LOCKED**

"Voice command Gambit: emergency system shut-down. Code 002374X."

Jean-Paul looked up to see Gambit standing beside him, expression unreadable.

**SYSTEM SHUT-DOWN **

The lights went off immediately, but Jean-Paul heard the Danger Room doors slide open. At the same time, the smell of smoke was released into the air. They didn't have to wait for the back-up lights to turn on; there were several small fires burning inside the room, providing light.

Still, it was dim, and Jean-Paul couldn't tell what might be Jono, and what was just broken equipment lying in a pile.

Remy didn't seem to have any problem with seeing; he entered the room immediately. The smoke was beginning to become unbearable, and the lights had just returned, so now instead of black, all he could see was gray. To top it off, the fire alarm had just decided to start working, and it was blaring like crazy as the sprinklers turned on.

Jean-Paul cursed under his breath as he squinted through the smoke. "Jono!"

/…Bloody 'ell…/

The mental voice was weak, and Jean-Paul wasn't quite sure where it was coming from.

"Jonothan! Where are you?" He shouted.

/Jean…Paul?/

"_Oui, _speak louder!"

He heard a faint mental moan and nothing else.

"Northstar!" Remy's voice called from the left.

Jean-Paul followed the sound blindly, "You found him?"

"Gambit found 'im alright…_merde_." He heard Remy mutter. The Cajun suddenly appeared out of the now clearing smoke.

He was soaking wet like Jean-Paul, due to the sprinklers, and he had Jono in his arms.

Jean-Paul's breath caught in this throat as he saw the growing pool of blood at Remy's feet.

"Give him to me." He said quietly.

Remy just looked at him.

"I can make it to Hank quicker than you! Give him to me!" Jean-Paul repeated, his voice growing louder.

Remy moved to put Jono in Jean-Paul's arms and the stepped back quickly.

Jean-Paul quietly said something to Jono and then darted away with Remy following not so closely behind.

They passed many X-Men on the way to the lab, but didn't stop for any of them. By the time Remy arrived outside, he could see Jean-Paul yelling something at Hank as Jono lay bloody on the bed behind them.

He could hear the sound of Jean-Paul's voice through the glass, but not what he was saying.

Hank was shaking his head sadly. He put a hand on Jean-Paul's shoulder and said something, but Jean-Paul shook away the hand and kneeled down beside Jono's bed. His head was turned so that no one could see his expression, but his shoulders shook visibly.

Meanwhile, a group of X-Men had gathered outside of the room, looking on.

Hank came out and closed the door behind hm. He sighed and took of his glasses before looking around at the group. "Approximate time of death is two-thirty." He said.


	11. Funeral

**Disclaimer: Any character, place, or product that you recognize does not belong to me, but their respective owners. Don't sue.**

**A/N: Yeah. So, dramatic last chapter, huh? And short, too. Sorry about that. Anyway, here goes chapter 11. It is official: I am a ninja. This is the fastest I have ever updated so much.**

**A/N 2: Check out my profile, which is constantly being updated, for news or info on my stories, and links to my other accounts. Follow me on Twitter **

**Shout out to Marvel-Lover (your PM is disabled) (And freakinaforest, too): Haha, don't worry –I DO have a plan for Jono's return! Just calm down and try not to hyperventilate. I mean, this wouldn't be half of a Gambit/Chamber fic if the guys never even got together. :D**

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><p>Emma and Sean flew in from Massachusetts the following morning. They, as well as a few others from the Academy had come to pay their respects and stay for the funeral.<p>

Jono had been moved off of the hospital bed and into the morgue. Yes, the X-Mansion did have one. It wasn't a part of the lab that Hank liked to advertise, but it was there –cold, dark, tucked away into a corner.

After the cause of death had been identified as gunshot wounds to the shoulder, back, and chest with excessive blood loss, papers were signed, and the funeral date was set.

Hank prepared the corpse for the funeral; stripping off the burnt yet soggy clothes and replacing them with a black suit. The soot from the fire in the Danger Room was washed off Jono's skin, and his hair was brushed back. The cavities in his body where his psionic energy had once been stored were just holes now; the energy had been extinguished with his death.

The Danger Room was shut down until further notice by Xavier.

As the days passed, Remy spent hours looking for Bobby. He was surprised to discover that when Robert Drake didn't want to be found, he would not be found. Remy was worried because he knew that the ice mutant was probably blaming himself for Jono's death and beating himself up over it.

On the fourth day –the day of the funeral –Remy just gave up looking and went down to the morgue where Jono was lying in a coffin. One of the students was already in the room as he entered. His eyes widened as he spotted Remy.

"Uh, I know I'm supposed to be here, Mr. LeBeau, but, um, I…Well Dr. McCoy… I just thought maybe-" He said immediately, trying to come up with a decent excuse.

Remy waved his hand in dismissal, "It's _bien_, Elixir." He said, "I won' tell no one."

Relief flooded the golden-skinned boy's face and he relaxed.

"I never thanked y'." Remy said as they stared down at Jono lying in the coffin with his hands folded across this chest.

"For what?" Elixir wondered.

"F' bringin' me back t' life." Remy said quietly. "Not sayin' I regret killin' myself in the first place, but… I wasn't doin' too well. Guess after I died, I never went back t' how bad I was before. I'm thankful f' dat. Y' gave me a second chance." He told Elixir.

The teen looked speechless at this but then looked down, "I know. When I healed you, I could feel all that stuff you did to yourself… The others don't know about all those scars and cuts or anything. But Mr. LeBeau? Was it really that bad?" He asked, glancing sideways at him, "I mean, I can't ever imagining doing that to myself…"

Remy thought about it. He blinked, "It wasn't good. _Mais_ maybe I made it worse on myself." He said slowly.

Elixir rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at Jono, "You know, I could bring a lot of people back from the dead if I wanted to. I don't usually do it because it just disrupts the balance of things, but I really wanted to bring Jono back… That's why I was here, actually."

Remy peered down at Jono as well. He still looked quite dead.

"Obviously I failed, though." Elixir added bitterly. "I couldn't do it, Mr. LeBeau…"

"Y' can't bring everyone back. Y' said so y'self." Remy replied. Some part of him agreed with Elixir's bitterness.

"No, it's like, I always depend on people having a heart for me to fix, but Jono's mutation makes it so that he doesn't even have one! How am I supposed to bring back people like him?" Elixir said dejectedly.

"Y' did y' best, Elixir." Remy said firmly.

"Yeah, well…" Elixir touched his index finger to Jono's forehead and there was a golden glow, but nothing changed, "See? Nothing." He turned and headed out the door, "I guess I should go get ready for the funeral. See you later, Mr. LeBeau."

"_Oui_," He agreed, watching the teen go. Then Remy turned back to the coffin and pressed a hand against Jono's cold cheek. He frowned and said softly, "_Je desole,_ Jono. Maybe if I had gotten to you earlier…" He trailed off and stared intently at the Brit's face. The expression was calm, as was to be expected of a corpse, and his eyes had been closed. "We never did make it right b'tween us." Remy said. "All dose weeks ago…dose things I said… I didn't mean any of it." He sighed and straightened up, saying quietly, "_Adieu, chere_."

At the funeral, after the viewing, Remy finally caught sight of Bobby. He was standing away from everyone else in a black suit, looking extremely blank. There were dark circles under his eyes and his skin had become a ghostly white color. Remy wasn't sure if Bobby had been eating for the past few days, because he looked rather gaunt.

There was the ceremony where Kurt spoke first, reading versus from the Bible, and then Xavier, Scott, Jean, Emma, and Sean spoke. Jubilee went up next, looking miserable as she talked about her friend. That speech had ended in a sob.

When it was Jean-Paul's turn, he walked up to the podium slowly and grimly. His expression was hard; he was completely composed. He began his eulogy: "Jono was a great man. He was a great X-Man and he was a great friend. My _best_ friend. I did not know him for very long, but for the time that I did, I discovered that he was kind at heart, even if he did come across as rough. When we talked, I hung onto every word, whether he realized it or not. I met Jono on the third day he started teaching here. We were not friends, and we did not try to be. Then, perhaps a month later, I found him sitting in the kitchen around midnight. I remember that we exchanged some small talk and I told him to call me Jean-Paul and not any nicknames, and he said that he did not have any nicknames, so we probably wouldn't have any problems. I told him that I would have to get him one, then, and he just replied, 'I suppose you will'." There was a murmur of fond laughter among the group, and Jean-Paul continued: "Some people could say that Jono couldn't smile. But I disagree. There was something in his eyes that night –something happy and warm, and it was much better than any smile. I noticed over the time we were friends that when Jono stopped to talk with someone, they would do all that they could to earn that look… It made us feel special, I think. Jono could make anyone feel special. He is in a better place, now, and we are here at his funeral. I stopped crying a few days ago when I realized that Jono would never want us to cry for him. Though we will all miss him terribly, we must celebrate the life he had, and be grateful that we ever got to meet the man named Jonothan Starsmore. I cherish the friendship we had, and I know that one day we will all meet him once more, and he'll smile at us with his eyes and make us feel special once more."

A silence followed Jean-Paul's eulogy like all of the others, until it was broken was a sniffle from someone in the audience. Jean-Paul walked off the stage and returned to his seat.

The eulogies that followed his were from other X-Men and students. Many of the latter recalled fond moments from their classes with Jono, or something he had once said.

Not a lot of it registered in Remy's mind. He sat near the back, staring around at the cloudy sky and the trees, but not at Jono's coffin, which was waiting to be lifted to the cemetery. Remy never did do well at funerals. There were too many projected emotions, it just overwhelmed him. So he did all he could to distract himself.

At one point, Remy found himself staring at Elixir, who had his eyes transfixed on the front. He was twitching in what almost seemed like a nervous manner.

Then funeral procession started, and everyone followed Scott, Piotr, Logan, and Jean-Paul as they carried the casket to the cemetery. It was lowered into the ground, Kurt said a few more words, and the crowd dispersed, some people choosing to take a walk around the grounds while others made their way slowly back to the mansion.

Jean-Paul and Piotr designated to stay behind and fill in the grave. They worked silently, and Remy chose to hang around and clear is head of other people's emotions. He stood near the trees, out of sight, blending in.

He had meant to follow Bobby after the funeral and confront him, but he had seen the ice-mutant head back to the mansion, and he really couldn't handle all of the grief and depression.

Remy walked around the grounds by himself, his hands in his pockets as he stared at his feet. Slowly, the sky grew darker, and faint thunder began to grumble overhead. Then it began to drizzle. By the time Remy walked by the boathouse, a downpour had begun, and he had to duck inside.

The house was just as he had left it. Remy turned on the light as immediately saw black, dried blood smeared across the living room carpet and the couch. He felt sick to his stomach at the sight.

Shrugging off the jacket of his suit, Remy ventured into the kitchen to see if there was anything in the cupboards. As it turned out, there was a stash of Swiss hot cocoa.

He had just pulled a mug out for himself when he heard the door open and then slam shut.

Northstar appeared in the doorway, dripping wet.

"Y' want somethin' t' drink?" Remy offered after a moment of staring.

Jean-Paul nodded wearily as he peeled off the jacket of his suit and hung it up on the coat rack. He undid his tie and put it up, too, and the two articles of clothing happily dripped water onto the floor.

When the hot cocoa was made, Remy slid one mug across the table to Jean-Paul and held onto the other. They didn't really actually drink anything, but rather, they curled around the warmth in their hands.

After a moment, Jean-Paul asked, "Est Bobby faire bien?" _Is Bobby doing alright?_

Remy looked down into his mug and answered slowly: "Il se reproche la mort Jono. Je ne pense pas qu'il a été manger ou de dormir." _He blames himself for Jono's death. I don't think he's been eating or sleeping._

Jean-Paul didn't respond. When he did, he switched back to English; "It was an accident. No one holds Robert accountable." He said quietly.

"No one _mais _him." Remy said.

Silence crept over them, once more, and they sipped their drinks and listened to the thunderstorm rage on outside.

"Gambit, you and Jono did not get along for the last few weeks. Why?" Jean-Paul said.

Remy didn't reply for so long, Jean-Paul almost thought he wasn't going to. But then –

"We said some t'ings t' each other." Remy admitted finally, "Gambit t'ink we didn' want t' get too close. So we jus' lashed out. Gambit didn' mean a word he said, _mais_ the damage was done."

"Conflicting personalities." Jean-Paul nodded slowly, "Or maybe personalities that were too similar?"

"_Oui_." Remy sighed.

Jean-Paul set down his mug, "I have another question. Why are you referring to yourself as 'Gambit' again? I noticed you had stopped doing that."

Remy blinked. Someone had actually taken notice? Really? Of _him_? To answer Jean-Paul's question, the Cajun shrugged, "Bobby's been tryin' t' break me out o' de habit. Guess it jus' decided t' return."

They had to stay in the boat house for another hour. In that time, they talked a little more. Jean-Paul told Remy stories of times with Jono, with Annie, with Alpha Flight… He was a surprisingly good story teller, and he didn't require anything from Remy. So he just sat and listened. He also figured that Jean-Paul might just want to talk about something happier to take his thoughts of the recent death of his best friend.

Even after the rain stopped, they continued to sit inside the boat house. Eventually, dinner time came around and they decided to head back to the mansion.

As they made their way across the still-wet grounds, Remy realized that this had been the first time he had had a conversation with anyone other the Bobby for so long.

Remy went down to dinner after changing out of his suite and found the cafeteria was more packed than usual because of all of those who had flew in for Jono's funeral.

After getting his food, he set down his tray at a table with Jubilee and Jean-Paul and told them that he was going to find Bobby.

"You do that, Gumbo," Jubilee nodded approvingly, "That guy needs to eat something."

Finding Bobby turned out to be relatively easy. Remy discovered him sneaking around the kitchen, looking through the cupboards. He looked starved.

"Bobby." He said, stating his presence.

The ice mutant jumped and whirled around. He was wearing a loose-fitting sweater and jeans, but both articles of clothing were dark, so they made him look especially gaunt and pasty.

"Come t' dinner, _mon ami_. Y're missed."

Bobby stepped away from the cupboard and looked at Remy's feet as he addressed him, "No I'm not. I killed Jono."

"It was an accident, Bobby. No one holds y' accountable." Remy said, quoting Jean-Paul.

"How can they not hold me accountable?" Bobby burst out, eyes snapping up to meet Remy's, "I killed him, Remy –accident or not. Have you ever killed one of your team mates?"

Remy sighed, "Everyone blames demselves f' a death. _I_ blame myself f' Jono's death, Jean-Paul blames himself, Xavier blames himself, Hank blames himself, Jean blames herself, Scott blames himself, Emma blames herself, hell, even some o' de students blame demselves!" He threw his arms into the air, "_Mais_ it ain't y' _fault_, Bobby."

The ice mutant looked away, "Except it _is_, Remy, and you know it. I had some psychic fit and made over two-hundred people go into unconsciousness and Jono happened to be training with guns when it happened."

"_Oui_, an' some o' us blame Jono f' his death. Jus' come t' dinner, Bobby. Y' can't starve y'self."

"I should." Bobby mumbled bitterly.

"Den we'd drag y' back from de dead t' kill y' ourselves. People would miss y' if y' died, jus' like dey miss Jono." Remy told him, taking a small step forward.

Bobby bit his lower lip to keep it from trembling.

"Come t' dinner, Bobby." Remy repeated, stretching out a hand for him to take.

He sniffed and took the hand hesitantly. Remy pulled him into a tight hug and whispered into his hair, "Don' even _t'ink_ about dyin'."

Bobby's body shook as he finally let go of his tears, but he whispered back miserably: "Okay."

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><p><strong>AN: Word of the day: BROMANCE. Wow. I've been watching too much Nigahiga. Anyway, that was pretty lame and I'm sorry. I made a new poll on my profile, and I advise you to go there and vote, if you want this story to continue. I'm seeing which story my readers think should go on hold while I focus on my other ones. Thanks for sticking by with me all of these chapters! Review and vote and you might just see more!**


	12. Buried Hatchets

**Disclaimer: See previous chapters for enlightenment.**

**A/N: Here goes ch. 12. Please review…**

**Shout out to all reviewers who are yelling at me for killing Jono and want him back: Hey, I want him back, too, but he has to stay in the ground for at least two chapters…**

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><p>"Professor, with all due respect, I don't want to have any more mind probes." Bobby said.<p>

Xavier didn't change his expression, "Is that so?"

He nodded and fidgeted in his seat, "I think when you found that memory with Jubilee, it made something in my head… I don't know. Maybe the psychic blast wouldn't have happened."

"You believe the blast was a subconscious defense mechanism and my finding memories you hadn't rediscovered yet triggered it?" the Professor asked.

Bobby nodded stiffly.

"Alright, then. I won't do anything you don't want me to do, Robert. But Hank is still going to be checking up on your secondary mutation." Xavier said.

"He says it's growing." Bobby said quietly.

"Very, _very_ slowly, Bobby." His mentor assured him.

He stood up and said, "Thank you," and headed toward the doors of the office.

"Bobby?" Xavier called after him. He paused, a hand on the door.

"Yes?"

"Are you doing alright, Bobby?" the Professor asked, concern in his voice.

Bobby stared at the door handle. Two days had passed since the funeral, and he had started eating again with the urging of Remy, Jubilee, and Hank, but he still didn't sleep. "I'm doing okay," He replied wearily.

"If you say so."

Bobby sighed and opened the doors to leave.

…

Julian Keller had gotten used to Elixir's new oddities by now, just like the rest of the X-Men. Once enemies purely because of the competing sizes of their egos, they barely spoke to each other these days.

The X-Men had just learned to leave Josh alone when it didn't look like he was feeling talkative.

Still, the mansion was kind of dull at the moment due to the sobriety that came with the recent funeral. So Julian had decided that Josh was the most exciting thing going on.

And Josh was sitting in front of Jono Starsmore's grave.

It was kind of eerie, actually.

Julian had been sitting in the big oak tree in the cemetery for some time now, and Josh hadn't moved at all. He sat in the grass with his legs crossed and his hand spread out, but pressed firmly to the ground next to him. He took no notice of anything around him and did not detect Julian's presence at all.

"Julian."

The sound of Laura's voice almost made him fall off his perch. She was crouched on a branch next to him, looking at him inquiringly, "It seems to me that you are watching Elixir. What is it that you find so entertaining?"

Julian made a shushing gesture at her and whispered, "I'm trying to figure out what he's doing."

"It would appear that he is giving some respect to his dead teacher." Laura said.

"Yeah, really?" He replied sarcastically, "That's probably why he sitting right there-"

"-But if you have heightened senses, you would know that he is trying to bring Chamber back from the dead." Laura added. She tilted her head to the side and looked down to where Josh sat.

"_What_?" Julian hissed.

"I said"

"-Yeah, Laura, I heard what you said. What _I'm_ saying is that he can't do that! He can't just go bringing everyone back from the dead."

"Josh knows that, Julian. He has his reasons for doing this. But it will not work. Chamber did not have a heart beat when alive, and so he cannot be brought back because there is no way Josh can jumpstart his heart. _Because it is no longer there_." She reiterated slowly.

An expression on annoyance flickered across Julian's face, "Laura, didn't we talk about this before? Don't treat other people like they're stupid."

"Sorry. I was just making sure you understood that the only thing Josh is giving life to is the grass." She blinked.

"_Yes_, X, I _understand_." Julian said.

"Your intelligence _is_ slightly above average." She nodded approvingly.

"Hey –_what_?"

"Josh has left." She said instead, nodding toward the ground.

He looked and she was right; Josh had gotten up and was heading back toward the mansion. Julian jumped down from the branch and telekinetically floated himself to the ground. Laura followed, jumping down and landing in a crouch.

Upon closer inspection, it did seem that the plants around Jono Starsmore's grave were taller, and there _was_ more life in general.

Julian looked at Laura, "Josh wasn't even _in_ Accountancy. Why's he so upset about this? I mean, Jono wasn't even his teacher."

She shrugged once, raising and dropping her shoulders.

…

Remy leaned against Bobby's door. He had been knocking and waiting for Bobby to come out for nearly ten minutes. He _knew_ the ice mutant was in there, and he needed to come out.

"_Mon ami_, if y' don' come outta dere in five minutes, Gambit's gonna break down the door." He threatened.

"_I'm_ going to break down the door_._" Remy thought he heard Bobby correct.

"What're y' tryin' t' prove by holin' y'self up in your room, _homme_? Jus' come outside." He called back.

There was no reply.

Remy sighed and stepped back, preparing to kick open the door.

"What do yah think you're doin'?"

He froze and turned to see Rogue standing in the middle of the hall with her hands on her hips.

"Gambit's, uh…" Damn it! Why did he always have to go dumb around Rogue? The woman made him feel like he was guilty no matter what!

"If he don't want to talk, don't make him." Rogue scolded, "Bobby's got enough tah deal with these days."

He didn't reply and rubbed one arm nervously. Remy stared at her mutely and she sighed.

"Look, Remy. Will yah stop actin' like Ah'm gonna kill yah all the time? I ain't tryin' tah be the Big Bad Wolf, here, but yah're really makin' me feel like one."

His eyes widened and she continued, "We had our differences during the whole Antarctica thing, but it's over now. It's way behind us. So…" She shrugged and met his eye, "Can we bury the hatchet, so tah speak?"

He stared at her. Her green eyes were hopeful and he nodded slowly, "_Oui_." He said hoarsely.

She smiled slightly and nodded. Then she said, "But seriously, don't go breakin' down Bobby's door."

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><p><strong>AN: I suck. That was so short. Sorry. Tell me how much you hate me in your review.**


	13. Nuisance

**Disclaimer: See previous chapter.**

**A/N: Lots of dialogue.**

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><p>"You miss him a lot." Annie said.<p>

Jean-Paul sighed, "Of course I do."

"Do… you… want to talk about it?" She asked softly.

They were sitting in the Infirmary. Annie was taking are of paperwork and Jean-Paul was sitting on the edge of the examination table where he always sat when he shared his troubles with Annie. He swung his legs back and forth in front of him, "Jono listened." Jean-Paul shrugged, "Like you listen. Except he actually knew what if felt like." He glanced over at her, "No offense."

"Hey, none taken. I get it. You and I don't necessarily have too much in common." Annie replied understandingly.

"Yes."

"So. I'm guessing you guys related because Jono…"

"Had feelings for someone who he thought could never return them." Jean-Paul answered tersely.

Annie frowned, "Really? It didn't seem like he really… thought much of anyone here. Besides you, of course."

Jean-Paul snorted, "You need to spend more time outside of the medical rooms of this mansion."

"So who was it then?"

"Jono had feelings for Gambit. Even though he never mentioned it, I could tell. It is tragic, Annie."

She choked, "_Gambit_? That _is_ tragic. I mean, Gambit's a lady's man."

"_Non_, he is attracted to _anything_ beautiful." Jean-Paul corrected. He didn't say anything more, but it made Annie wonder.

* * *

><p>"Say what now?" Rogue blinked.<p>

"You were his friend before. Jus' because he don' remember dat doesn't mean y' don' still care f' him. Y' went on a goddamn road trip a few months ago." Remy said, "Y' have t' know more about him den anyone except maybe Jubilee. _Jus' get him out o' his room_."

"Wait just a second here, Gambit. Yah can't be tryin' tah pull favors again already!"

"It's Bobby, not me!" He replied, throwing his arms up in distress, "He ain't been out o' his room f' three days. Y' gettin' worried, too, aren't y'?"

She sighed, "Well, _yeah_."

"Then can't y' try talkin' t' him?" Remy pleaded.

Rogue crossed her arms tightly and huffed another sigh, "Fine. Ah'll go aftah dinner."

* * *

><p>"Julian,"<p>

He started, almost dropping his plate, as Laura appeared next to him. She had snuck up so quickly, he hadn't noticed at all.

"Jesus, X! Can't you, like, stomp a little when you walk up behind someone?" he scolded.

"I must show you something. It is extremely important." Laura informed him.

He looked down at his food, then at the dinner table nearby and then back at Laura, "Uh, can this _wait_, Laura? I'm kind of hungry."

"No. Come now. Tell the others that we will be back soon." She turned and started for the exit of the cafeteria.

Julian put his food down on the dinner table and told Cessily, Santo, Anole and Sooraya, "I'm going to be right back. Santo, don't touch my stuff." And he followed Laura to where she had disappeared outside the cafeteria. He crossed his arms and gave her a _this better be good_ look before they started down the halls.

On the way, they passed Rogue, she glanced at them for a moment, but didn't seem interested in calling them out on not being at dinner.

Laura led Julian outside and down into the fields. It was dark and soon the lights of the mansion were very distant.

"Okay, X, what the hell is it that I need to see? Because at this rate, I probably won't be _able_ to." Julian said as he stumbled along in the dark.

"Sh." She replied, reaching out and stopping him.

He was silent immediately. A soft breeze swept through the air and the trees around them rustled as their branches swayed.

Julian shivered.

"Do you hear that?" X-23 asked.

"Hear _what_?" he snapped, "the crickets? Damn it, X, what are we doing out here?"

"This is the school cemetery." Laura told him, "We were here yesterday."

"Yeah?" Julian grumbled, rubbing his arms to keep warm, "So?"

"The grass. It has mutated due to Elixir's touch." She explained.

Julian looked down and let out a startled yelp, having noticed that his ankles were being wrapped by the grass. "Holy shit!" he flew into the air immediately. He looked at Laura, "So Josh mutated the ground when he was trying to bring Chamber back? What _else_ did he mutate?"

"Nothing. And the grass is harmless, Julian. But that is not what I brought you out for."

"_What_, then?"

"Chamber. I can hear him underground."

"Yeah?"

"He's starting to revive."

* * *

><p>"Bobby?" Rogue called through the door, "Yah in there?"<p>

There was no answer, but she knew for certain that he hadn't left.

"I brought you dinner, figured, yah didn't eat yet." She told him, "Brought a Twinkie, too. Know yah like 'em."

"What do you want?" Bobby asked.

"Figured yah needed tah talk tah someone." She replied softly.

The door opened a crack. Blue eyes stared out.

Rogue waved the platter of food enticingly before him and the door opened all the way.

Bobby didn't look very well. His blonde hair was a mess, there were light shadows under his eyes, and his skin was a sickly white. He invited Rogue in and took the food she had offered.

She looked around. The room was dark and for Bobby being holed up inside it for so many days, it was surprisingly clean. The air _was_ a bit chilly, though.

"How yah doin'?" Rogue asked.

"I killed one of my teammates, I still can't remember most of my life, and I have a freezing piece of ice growing across my chest, and I feel like my mind is going to melt." He replied, glancing over at her as they sat down on his bed, "What do you think?"

"Yah have what?" Rogue frowned.

He stood up, handing his plate back to Rogue. He was wearing a ratty old t-shirt, which he took off slowly, yet in a very nonsexual manner.

Rogue's eyes widened and she gasped softly as she saw the glint of ice in the dark. "Yah aren't supposed tah use your powers." She told him, even though she had a feeling…

"I'm not." Bobby said, sitting down next to her again.

She was silent and they didn't speak. Bobby poked at the food on his plate.

"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly.

"A little. It's just kind of sore, I guess." Bobby shrugged.

"Why are yah holin' yourself up in here?" Rogue wondered, "Don't yah wanna go out an' see Hank or Jubilee or someone?" 'Someone' here meaning 'Remy'.

Bobby ran a hand through his hair, "I've been messed up, lately. After the whole incident with Jono, I've been flooded with so many memories it makes my head hurt like crazy."

"Memories? Of what?" she asked, curiosity flaring up.

"Everyday conversations. Pranks. Some mission stuff, I guess. Some things that make zero sense." He added, grumbling. "And not the '_I don't remember these things_' zero sense, I mean '_this doesn't seem like reality_' zero sense."

Rogue thought about it, "A lot of things we do in the X-Men doesn't seem like reality." She reasoned.

Bobby put his plate on the ground, having only touched a few things, "No, I mean like _picnics_. I was on a picnic. And there was no one there. It's like… I don't know, a dream, I guess. But even if those things _were_ dreams, they _still_ don't make sense. In fact, now they make even _less_ sense!" he declared, throwing his arms up in the air.

Rogue grasped for something to say, "Well, why don't yah see Xavier about it?" She asked.

"I stopped having private sessions with him. There's only so much my head can _take_. I feel like it's going to explode." He groaned.

"Yah don't hafta get your mind probed. Yah can just talk. Like your talkin' tah me right now." She told him, "And if your uncomfortable with that, yah can always talk with Jean. Ah know that could be a lot less intimidatin'."

Bobby was silent as he thought it over. "Maybe." He replied silently, "But for now, I think I just really need to get some sleep. My headache is killing me."

Rogue took this as her cue to leave, and she stood up, "Ah should get goin' right now, anyway. Got some things tah do." She lied.

He nodded and followed her to the door, picking up his shirt and putting it back on as he went. The ice on his chest disappeared under the cloth. "Thanks for stopping by." He told Rogue as she stepped outside. "It was really nice of you."

"Sure thing, Bobby. But if Gambit comes by again? Open the door for him. Seriously." She told him, "He's a nuisance when he sulks."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Mwahee hee hoo. Jono will be making a reappearance soon! Do not be discouraged! Sorry for the late update. Review and tell me how much you hate me? : )**


	14. It's a Beautiful Day

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognized thingamadoos belong to their respective owners. Also known as 'not me'.**

**A/N: I feel like it's been a **_**long**_** time since I updated this story. I don't know, I guess I just had more time for it during the summer. And wow –I started writing this five months ago!**

* * *

><p>"<em>It's a beautiful day."<em>

_ Jean looked around, confused. She had been sitting in a classroom only seconds earlier, grading papers, and now she found herself sitting in a grassy meadow with a clear, sunny sky overhead. There was a blanket spread out on the ground next to her, and _Bobby_ was sitting on it, wearing a t-shirt and khaki shorts. Jean was sure that there was someone else in the meadow, but she couldn't turn to see. It was frustrating._

_ "Jean?" Bobby looked surprised to see her. "What's wrong? Is there a mission?"_

_Not so unaccustomed to accidentally walking in on a dream that was being projected, Jean replied quickly, "Oh, no, it's okay. I just came to tell you that …" she grasped at something to say._

Jean woke up with a start and looked around the dark bedroom. All was silent.

Scott groaned and shifted a little in his sleep next to her.

She let out a sigh and sank back into her pillow once more. It had been a long time since Jean had slipped into someone else's dream. Bobby _did_ seem to be projecting his thoughts in an unusually loud manner; Jean could still 'hear' him a little even now that she was conscious. She rolled onto her side and settled back to go back to sleep. She hoped that the rest of the night would be peaceful, and she wondered only a little about who had been on the picnic with Bobby.

* * *

><p>By the time Jean awoke a few hours later, she hardly remembered the incident from the night. She and Scott went through their morning routines and then walked down to breakfast together, where they were not so pleasantly –yet still surprised to find Bobby and Jubilee laughing and chatting (just little too loudly for the early morning hour)while they made breakfast.<p>

"Bobby, you're … uh, early." Scott said. (Jean knew that what he meant was, 'Bobby, you aren't locked away in your room anymore!').

He shrugged, "Yeah, well, I couldn't go back to sleep."

Scott nodded in understanding as he poured himself his morning coffee.

Jean noticed that Bobby and Jubilee had paused and were hovering near the door as they watched Scott take a gulp of coffee. She looked back to him and he raised an eyebrow, "What?"

She shook her head, fighting back a laugh; his teeth were stained black.

Jubilee and Bobby disappeared as soon as they saw that the job had been done.

Jean grinned and turned her back to her husband while she busied herself with making breakfast.

* * *

><p>The day progressed as usual. Jean taught two classes in the morning, went to the Med Lab to help Hank out with some research, and then went to a late lunch.<p>

She then taught two more classes and then had a meeting with Charles and Hank to discuss Bobby's condition. Following that, she had a meeting with Charles, Scott, and Storm to discuss the team. She then went to find Emma Frost to remind the woman that underwear and a corset was not acceptable attire in a school.

"Ugh," She sighed, dropping into her seat during dinner, "I feel exhausted."

Storm gave her a sympathetic pat and asked Scott to pass the salt.

"How was your day, honey?" Jean asked him as she twisted some spaghetti onto her fork.

He seemed to be in an especially foul mood. No one had bothered to inform him that his teeth were black until late afternoon, and then he had spent an hour brushing his teeth. His ego had been greatly diminished. "Elixir missed all of my classes again." He said.

Storm frowned, "I worry about him." She sighed.

"We all do." Jean assured, "I've tried talking to him. He just chooses not to. I think he's been trying to bring Jono back." She said quietly.

Storm and Scott both seemed alarmed at this.

"He shouldn't be doing that." Scott declared, disapproving immediately.

"I know, honey, but he was actually well-liked among the students."

"Josh didn't have Accountancy with Jono." Storm pointed out.

There was a silence following her comment and then Scott said, "You think someone _told_ him to do it?"

There was another silence and Storm said, "That's ridiculous."

* * *

><p>Julian woke up that day at 9 o'clock as usual. He took his time getting ready and getting dressed and then made it downstairs just in time for his first class with Mr. Summers to have ended. Second period was a Danger Room session where he made sure to beat everyone's asses.<p>

Third hour came, and Mr. Beaubier yelled at the class more than usual. Julian had a feeling it had a lot to do with the fact that his best friend had died. It was obvious.

Lunch came, and then there was another Danger Room session, which Mr. LeBeau was in charge of. He yelled at them all, too, and then made them fight a level seven simulation, which whipped them all.

It was later when Julian was heading back to his room for a shower that he passed Mr. Summers. The X-Man didn't even stop to ask why he wasn't in class that morning, but stalked ahead, a hand over his mouth.

And the day went pretty normal.

But then, Fate would never allow that, so just as Julian was heading down to dinner, he saw Elixir sneaking out the doors toward the cemetery.

Julian paused and looked from the door to the hall leading to the cafeteria. He started for the cafeteria, then stopped, groaning. He turned around and went to follow Josh.

It was chilly outside, as it was mid-November, and he was glad he was wearing his jacket. He followed the glint of Josh's gold skin through the dark night until they reached the cemetery.

There, Julian stood behind the tree he had been sitting in a few days previously. He watched quietly as Josh knelt down next to a grave that he was _sure_ belonged to Jono Starsmore.

"Okay," Josh muttered to himself, "One more time Mr. Starsmore…" He added something else that Julian didn't catch, and then put his hands down on the earth, where they began to glow.

* * *

><p>Josh woke up at six o'clock just before his alarm clock went off. Anole groaned from his bed across the room and threw a pillow at the alarm clock, but it missed, as usual and flopped to the ground.<p>

Josh, on the other hand, got up silently and went to get ready for class.

First period was with Mr. Summers, and he sat in the back of the class and didn't really listen to the teacher discussing battle tactics as he stared out the window.

It wasn't an especially beautiful day; the sky was still cloudy, as it had been for the past few days, and there was probably a chilly wind blowing outside the glass of the window.

Second hour Psychology and Study of Human Behavior with Dr. Grey followed, and then third period French with Miss Rogue. At lunch, Elixir took his food outside and sat in the courtyard until fourth period came and he had to go to Business and Economics. Mr. Beaubier was more tightly wound ever since Chamber died, and he yelled at Julian and Santo for disrupting the class more than he normally would. Next came a Danger Room session, which Mr. LeBeau was in charge of, and everyone was exhausted by the end of the two hours.

But when dinner came, Josh hung around the back hall and when everyone else was heading toward the cafeteria, he slipped out the doors.

It was dark, but he basically had his path memorized. Josh was sure tonight was the night.

For the past few days –the last two _weeks_, he had been coming out to the cemetery almost every night to work.

Josh knelt down on the ground beside Jonothan Starsmore's grave and put his hands to the ground again. He concentrated, and eventually felt the familiar pulse of energy beneath the ground.

"Alright, Chamber," he muttered, "Time for you to come out."

And he closed his eyes and the earth glowed gold.

* * *

><p>Julian watched as the golden glow became brighter and brighter.<p>

Then suddenly it stopped, and the ground began to tremble.

"-the hell?" he said as he was almost thrown off balance. He staggered forward and grabbed Josh, pulling him off the ground.

The other mutant stared at him in the dark, startled.

"What the hell did you do?"

Josh looked back to the grave, "It worked," He said breathlessly, "I did it! It _worked_!"

Suddenly, just as the ground was shaking at its worst, the earth broke open and a beam of psionic energy burst out, cutting through the night. When the blast ended, the night was still.

Josh scrambled to his feet and hurried toward the grave, but Julian tackled him to the ground again, "Oh no you don't, Dr. Frankenstein," He growled.

"Ugh! Get off! He needs help getting out! Julian! I will give you _cancer_ if you don't let go _right_ fucking _now_." Josh said.

Julian actually backed off, but then grabbed Josh with his telekinesis.

"He'll _die_ again! He's not used to breathing anymore!" Josh yelled at him

"He shouldn't be alive in the _first_ place!" Julian snapped, "Hasn't anyone ever told you about the fucking importance of _fate_? Just because you _can_ do it, doesn't mean you _should_."

"How hypocritical _are_ you?" Josh said incredulously.

"Shut up, Josh. You are fucking _insane_." He retorted. He took a hesitant step toward the edge of the hole in the ground just as a dirty hand reached up and grabbed the ledge.

"See?" Josh exclaimed.

Julian knelt down and reached into the grave just as another hand shot up and grabbed his arm.

* * *

><p>The cafeteria was silent.<p>

The trembling of the ground had ceased but everyone was still looking around, puzzled. Then—

"Cool!" A student exclaimed.

The rest of the kids burst out into laughter and everything went back to normal. But the X-Men were still alert.

Jean –from the other side of the Staff Room –was motioning that something was going on outside. When she and Scott left, Jean-Paul, Storm, Bobby, and Remy followed, leaving Jubilee, Rogue, and the other X-Men left to stay and watch over the kids.

"Hellion is outside." Jean updated everyone as they hurried through the halls, "So is Elixir. Julian's angry –he's projecting loudly."

"If those tremors were caused by Julian…" Scott muttered darkly under his breath.

They had barely all made it into the front hall when the front doors burst open unexpectedly.

A chilly breeze swept inside, but it was barely noticed. The X-Men were staring at Julian Keller and Joshua Foley, who stood in the doorway supporting another fellow who was gasping for air and covered in dirt.

What first registered in everyone's minds was A.) That was Jonothan Starsmore there, alive and breathing, and B.) He was gasping for air and breathing. Through a mouth.

He looked up slowly and smiled weakly. "Hey." He said hoarsely.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Woohoo! Wow! I'm SO sorry for the wait and I must THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. And looky here! Jono's baaaaack! Find out how in chapter 15! Review! What do you think? Was this chapter not dramatic enough? Were you looking for a huggy-huggy reunion? Sorry. But what did you think about the entire chapter through the eyes of the supporting characters? Pretty crafty, eh? Don't worry, it'll be back to normal next chapter.**


	15. Deal

**Disclaimer: not mine.**

* * *

><p>There were three things Jono knew for certain. One: He had been dead not an hour earlier. Two: He had a face –not half of one, but an <em>entire<em> face. Three: It was all Elixir's doing.

Being dead wasn't… well, it was like being dead. There was no other side, no light; he'd just died. One moment he had been training in the Danger Room, and the next, everything had been quite dark, and he had started to feel a tingle in his bones. A long time passed where he had just lied in the darkness, aware of a strange, warm sensation washing over him, but unable to open his eyes to see what it was.

Then one day the energy started to build up in his chest until there was just so _much_ the only thing he could do was let it out. Minutes later, two teenagers were pulling him out of the ground.

Now, sitting in a lab that branched off from the Med Bay, Jono made a mental note to make sure to talk to Elixir when Scott was done yelling at him in the next room.

At the moment, he just wanted to be alone. For Christ's sake, he had just come back from the dead!

So after a few minutes, he had managed to convince Jean-Paul to go up to the kitchen and find something for him to eat. This gave him only a few minutes with himself, but a few minutes could be enough.

Unfortunately, it seemed that fate was not going to let him off the hook that easily. There was a knock and Jono looked up to see Robert Drake standing uncertainly in the doorway.

The man looked terrible. His face was pale and there were shadows under his eyes. The frown on his face seemed almost permanent. It was strange to see the resident prankster looking so ill. Jono wondered briefly whether or not Bobby had regained his memories yet. Then he recalled that someone had told him that barely a month had passed since his death.

"Hey." Bobby said, "I know you probably…" He took a deep breath and stepped forward, "You probably want some time to think things through, but I just have to… I'm sorry."

Jono raised his eyebrows. /Sorry?/ He switched to speaking with his mouth; "Fer wot?"

Bobby ran a hand through his hair, looking distraught. "I kind of… indirectly… killed you." He said finally. "It's been eating at me ever since. I mean, I killed you." He threw his hands in the air, "And God knows how guilty I feel about it. It's the stupid second mutation or whatever the fuck it is; I keep accidently making before pass out –I don't mean to complain. I'm not trying to make excuses –I'm sorry. It's my fault. I just hope you can forgive me."

Jono was already finding that the downside to having a mouth again was that it would be open whenever he was feeling bewildered. He closed his mouth. "It's fine." He said, /I forgive you. It wasn't yer fault./

Bobby opened his mouth, looking guilty, but Jono held up a hand. /Don't./ "I don't hold you accountable fer anything. An' besides." /I'm alive _now_./

Plus Bobby's stress was starting to make _him_ feel guilty.

The look of relief that flooded over him was astounding. His shoulders relaxed visibly; Jono hadn't even noticed that he had been so tense.

There was a sudden noise as Jean-Paul cleared his throat from the doorway and set a plate of food down on a nearby counter. He looked from Jono to Bobby and offered, "I can come back…"

"I was leaving." Bobby said quickly. "Thanks." He told Jono.

The Brit couldn't decide if he was just imagining the uneasy look in Bobby's eyes as he brushed past Jean-Paul on his way out.

There seemed to be so much he had missed while dead, even though he had been told nothing had really happened.

"I met Storm on my way here. No one is sure whether or not Joshua should be punished." Jean-Paul said. "Personally, I do not think he should be." He handed Jono the plate of food and some plastic utensils. "Here. Hank said to eat slowly and chew as much as possible."

Jono took the plate and used a fork to poke at the food. A look of amusement crossed his face. He took a few hesitant bites of food and chewed slowly for a long time.

Delicious.

Upon swallowing he asked, "How are you, Jean-Paul?"

The Quebecois shrugged from where he sat, straddling a rolling chair and using his feet to make roll back and forth on the floor. "The last couple of months have been strange." He said, "I am not quite sure how I feel about anything at the moment."

* * *

><p><em>Everyone was dressed in black as they stood around something.<em>

_ "What's going on?" Bobby asked as he approached the group._

"_It's a funeral." Jubilee told him, head bowed in respect to the recently departed._

_ Dread filled Bobby's mind. "Funeral? But Jono's back! Who's the funeral for?" He pushed his way to the front of the crowd to get a view of the coffin._

_ "You." The red-skinned demon was standing at the head of the coffin, where, dressed in a black suit, lay a statue of ice in the form f a man._

_ Bobby shouted in surprise and stumbled back. The crowd parted for him and he fell against the ground._

_ The demon advanced until he stood, looming over Bobby. "Be careful, Robert." He said quietly._

* * *

><p>"NO!" Bobby awoke with a start and then fell back in his bed. His heart raced wildly as his pants became quiet sobs. Whether they were of terror from the dream, or relief from waking up, he couldn't tell. It might've been a mixture of both.<p>

He turned, shaking, to check the clock on his bedside table.

Three AM.

Taking several deep breaths to calm down a little, Bobby kicked back the covers of his bed and sprang up. He crossed the room in four steps and was out in the hall in seconds. He made his way to the end of the hall, where there was a light at the stairwell. He descended, barefoot, wearing only a t-shirt and boxer shorts.

Who cared if a student wandering around in the early morning spotted him? Chances were he wouldn't even remember their name.

The kitchen light was on, and Bobby went there to sift through the contents of the freezer until he found some ice cream.

"Can't sleep?"

Bobby whirled around to see Jono and Jean-Paul leaning against the counter on the other side of the kitchen. He hadn't even noticed them in his rush. Jono was dressed in his old black clothing and it would be hard to tell he'd even been dead for a month if it had not been for the stiff way he sat and the occasional blank expression in his eyes as he concentrated on breathing.

Bobby's heart raced at a very unreasonable pace from the fright. "Oh…" he gasped, "Yeah…" he took the ice cream over to the granite-topped island across from the refrigerator and began to work at prying the lid open. As he struggled, he asked, "What about you two? Have you even been to bed?"

"No." Jean-Paul replied quietly.

/Can't really sleep much anyway,/ Jono said, "So why bother?"

Bobby thought absently that someone was going to have to point out that if Jono continued to speak every sentence alternating between talking with his mouth and his mind, he was going to drive everyone crazy.

As he finally succeeded in opening the tub of ice cream, Bobby mused that maybe he already _was_ a little crazy. His dreams hadn't been filled _only_ with visions of his funeral lately; he kept having that damn _picnic_ dream. He couldn't figure out who the hell he was picnicking with and it was driving him utterly insane. Plus, the more memories he was regaining, the more he realized that it was unlikely that he was dreaming of something that had already happened before. He was having some sort of weirdo fantasy.

"So, uh," Bobby said, trying to think of something to say to break the uneasy silence, "What did Scott do to Josh?"

"Kitchen duty for two weeks for sneaking out after hours every day." Jono replied with a shrug. /An' he's getting a different roommate. Again./

"Victor is too kind to tell him what to do. Scott wanted someone who would make Josh follow the rules. Surprisingly," -Jean-Paul smiled dryly- "I heard that Julien volunteered to be that person."

"Wow." Bobby muttered. He put his spoon down and stared at the contents of his tub of ice cream. A frown formed on his mouth and he slapped the lid on the ice cream, all cravings for the cold treat suddenly gone. He opened the freezer and practically threw the ice cream back in. He slammed the door close and turned around.

Jean-Paul was frowning ever so slightly. He could see something was wrong.

Hell, anyone would be alarmed if Bobby Drake just silently declared a dislike for _ice cream_.

"Is everything alright?" Jean-Paul asked carefully.

Bobby shrugged. "Weird dream." He replied. Hunching his shoulders, he hurried out of the kitchen and into the darkened hallway.

Jono turned to look at Jean-Paul. "Wot's his problem?"

"I don't know."

/Well, if yer care about him, why don't you go find out?/ the Brit challenged. "Yer don't have ter follow _me_. I'm not that interesting."

Jean-Paul opened his mouth, but Jono continued, "You know, I always heard you were some sharp-tongued Frenchman, an' maybe it might jus' be left over_ dirt_ in my head, but yer not sounding so impressive right now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jean-Paul crossed his arms.

/It means I've been back from the dead fer less than a day, and I'm already tired of yer pining./ Jono said. His expression softened and he looked his friend in the eye, "Jus' go after 'im fer once. Seein' as he's not feeling so fine at the moment, I'd say now's a good opportunity."

Jean-Paul stared at Jono with wide eyes for a long time before whispering. "I'll go after Bobby, if you stop ignoring the tension between you and Gambit."

* * *

><p><em>Attention all students, there will be an announcement following breakfast this morning. I ask that you make your way down to the auditorium upon finishing your meal. Attendance is required. Thank you./_

* * *

><p>Jono didn't really want to be there. He asked Jean-Paul why there wasn't an assembly when <em>he<em> was brought back from the dead, to which the Quebecois cheerfully replied that he had been in a fragile state of mind, and he wouldn't have been able to handle being around so many people.

Jono didn't really want to be around people, but that was kind of normal. So here he was, standing on the stage, addressing a sea of wide-eyed students. "…So I'm alive, I'm fine, an' I hope you didn't throw away yer homework… 'Cos it's due tomorrow." He finished.

Xavier nodded to him and Jono hurried off the stage. As he exited backstage, he heard the headmaster begin addressing the students once more, "Before you are all dismissed, I would like to talk to you about controlling your powers… When is it the right time for you to use them and when…" The door clicked shut, effectively muffling his next words.

The hallway was empty.

Of course it was. Jono sighed loudly and scratched his jaw as he started to make his way toward his classroom.

The door wasn't closed like he had expected it to be. In fact, there was already someone there.

"You're supposed to be at the assembly." Jono said.

"I already know what's going on." Josh replied. He stood next to the teacher's desk, tracing scorch marks on the wood with his index finger. For a student, he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Or at least half of it.

/Still./

Josh looked up, "How are you?" he asked.

"Fine." Jono shrugged, /You?/

"I'm alright." The teen said. "You probably want to know why, huh?"

"Yeah. Why me, what for."

"Mr. Summers and everyone else don't know what to do." Josh said, looking thoughtful, "On one hand, I misused my powers. On the other, I brought you back to life, so they don't want to punish me and make it look like it's a _bad_ thing you're back." He paused and looked Jono in the eye, "I _know_ what I'm doing. There's like… I dunno, I bigger picture here, and all I'm doing is _looking _at it."

"An' I shouldn't be dead in the 'bigger picture', is what yer sayin'?" Jono asked.

"Yeah."

"An' why's that?"

"Mr. Drake. Mr. Beaubier. Mr. LeBeau," Josh said, ticking off names with his fingers, "Miss Frost, Miss Rogue, Mr. Wagner, Dr. Grey, Dr. McCoy…"

"-Wot about them?" Jono interrupted.

The golden-skinned mutant sighed with exasperation, "_You_ need to be alive so Mr. Beaubier can be _not_ miserable for once in his life. If Mr. Beaubier isn't miserable, he can pay attention to Mr. Drake again, who really needs to stop hiding from things, and they can get together. Finally. Mr. LeBeau fits into this somehow with you. I think he likes you. And then Miss Rogue will go through a phase and will finally begin to sort things out with her head, and"

/-Wot, now yer precognitive as well?/ Jono interrupted for the second time. "An' wot do you mean 'I think he likes you'?" he made ferocious quoting gestures at the air, looking irritated. Growing noise outside in the hall told them that the assembly had ended and classes were going to begin soon.

Josh frowned and stuffed his hands in his pocket. "You-? Wait, I thought…" He trailed off as students began to file into the classroom.

/You thought…?/ Jono prompted.

"Nothing really." He shrugged and waved a quick good-bye before retreating from the classroom.

Jono stared after him for a long time before making a face. He rather disliked cryptic people who were always looking at this 'bigger picture'. After all, was it really so wonderful to look at, that it had to be constructed with so much detail?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: All I can say is that I am so sorry for making y'all wait, and Sloth is one of my greatest sins. I just hope the length of this chapter will make up for it. Not much plot development here, but next chapter we'll be looking more into Bobby's mutation. Hopefully.**


	16. One Week Later, Five Weeks Later

**A/N: Chapter 16, here we are… I saw the Swan Lake ballet recently and oh my god, the prince totally looked like a Jean-Paul. Somebody should write this AU. Bobby could be the swan prince. LOL, okay maybe I'll do that next… in like, a few years. :P **

**A/N #2: I'd like to remind you that this is, in fact, an AU. Getting timelines tangled beyond comprehension is my specialty. Just go with it. :D**

* * *

><p>"Bad news, I'm afraid," Hank said. He stood up from his computer and turned on the projector in the lab. The screens of his monitors appeared on a board nearby. They were mostly graphs and photographs that Bobby couldn't quite figure out.<p>

"Oh joy," He said with mock happiness.

"Absolutely," Hank said. "As you know, your second mutation is growing."

"Slowly."

"Well, in there lies the bad news. On the outside, it appears that that the ice on your chest is not spreading at a severe rate. But a few simple scans indicate that your internal organs have started to freeze as well."

"Like what?"

"Most of the flesh on your chest is entirely ice –crystals and all. Your body has an immunization to it, though. However, the question is _how much_. In a few weeks…" Hank trailed off and took off his glasses. He cleaned them silently.

Bobby, leaning against an examination table, dug his fingernails into the table nervously. "In a few weeks?" He prompted quietly. Cold dread flooded over him as he waited for Hank to reply.

"I have very little doubt that within a few weeks, your heart will freeze as well."

"I'm going to die?" Bobby squeaked.

"It isn't looking so chipper for you, my friend."

His legs gave out beneath him and he slid to the floor.

"Bobby, listen to me carefully," Hank said, squatting down next to his friend. "I am doing my best to formulate a cure, or at least something that might momentarily stop the growth of your mutation. However, I will require that you tell me everything when I ask you a question. That is, _anything_ that you can recall, whether you may find it trivial or not. Do you understand?"

Bobby nodded slowly and allowed the doctor to help him back up to his feet. Hank went to get him a glass of water.

"Now I know that you have stopped your sessions with the Professor, so I am not sure how your memory is coming along. What would you say you remember?" He asked, handing Bobby the drink. "You woke up four months ago, with knowledge of your parents, what your name was, and all the academic information you learned, but not much of anything else."

"I remember who people are… what some of them like to do."

"That's good."

"I remember pranks I played on Scott and Warren in the earlier days. I can remember most of the missions I've been on. Jean let me read the records, so that helped. I know I hate Alex, but I can't remember why." Bobby glanced at Hank uncertainly. The blue mutant nodded with a smile.

"How are you coping?" He wanted to know.

"Well, it's like I've been telling everyone else who's asked. It's like I'm a different person. The Bobby you all knew for the last few years isn't even me. I'm not him. It's the connections with everyone else I can't remember, and people start talking to me and they use some sort of inside joke that I'm supposed to get, but I don't."

"Everything will come back in due time." Hank sympathized, patting Bobby's shoulder.

"If I'm not dead by then." Bobby mumbled downheartedly.

* * *

><p>"We're going tah Harry's. Yah wanna come, Jono?"<p>

He stared at Rogue for a moment before saying, /Yeah./ "Sure."

"Cool. Me an' Logan are roundin' up a couple of the others and we're meetin' at the doors in ten minutes." She smiled and disappeared from the class room, presumably to 'round up' other X-Men.

Jono set down his pen and stood up.

It was late afternoon and he was still sitting in his classroom. Dark had already fallen; it was early December. Jono had returned to the land of the living nearly a week ago and life had definitely just gone on.

He left the class room and headed up to his room, intending to grab a coat before going back down to the front hall.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to ask Bobby out." Jean-Paul said.<p>

Annie didn't reply, but continued to mark the papers sitting in front of her. She sat on a stool at a counter in the infirmary while Jean-Paul stood, leaning back on the counter next to her.

After a moment she finally looked up. She blinked wearily. "Sorry, what?"

"I was thinking about asking Bobby out. On a date." Jean-Paul frowned, "Is that a bad idea?"

"What? No way!" Annie grinned. "Ask him tomorrow."

"I was actually hoping you would stop me from making one of the potentially worst mistakes of my life." He replied dryly.

"Yeah right –this is great! Where do you plan on taking him?"

"To dinner, Annie. Where else?" Jean-Paul stared into space thoughtfully. "It won't be a date. Not really. It'll just be a… night between friends. Or team mates."

"Whatever you call it," Annie rolled her eyes. "Bobby's been looking a little down recently. It'll be good for him to get out and about anyway. What brought this on, anyway?"

"That last time we went out to dinner, it didn't end so well. But in a way, Bobby has become a new person."

"Question is, though," Annie suddenly frowned, "Is the new Bobby the same Bobby you first met, minus the memories, or is he an entirely different person trapped inside the same body?"

"That almost doesn't make any sense."

"You know what I mean."

"I still like him." Jean-Paul said.

"What do you like about Bobby?" Annie challenged.

He was quiet for a moment. "I like his eyes. The way they … I don't know, twinkle, when he makes a joke. I like his smile –his real smile, not the fake one he wears now. Simple things make him so happy and his presence can make other people feel good." He started to go on, but Annie stopped him by holding up her hand in a silencing gesture. There was a faint smile on her face. "No need to say more, JP. You are definitely one lovesick puppy. So ask him out tomorrow. He'll say yes –I know he will."

"Perhaps." Jean-Paul said. He glanced over to her. "And what about you, Annie? You seem exhausted."

She shrugged, "Been busy… helping out Hank in the lab. Making sure he remembers to eat."

"Another project?" Jean-Paul asked, looking amused.

"Research. On Bobby's second mutation. Hank gets irritated when he can't figure something out."

* * *

><p>Remy LeBeau, Prince of Thieves, admitted to having some issues. Mainly, self-esteem issues, but he was pretty certain he had other issues, too. In fact, one of those issues was probably what made him decide he wanted to sit up in that freaking maple tree. Remy wasn't quite sure which issue it was, though.<p>

Regardless, here he was, sitting in a tree.

Most of the leaves had fallen, so he had a clear view of what was going on around him. He watched silently as the doors of the mansion opened and a group of chattering X-Men walked out. Among the group was Rogue, Kurt, Piotr, Kitty, and Jono. Remy was surprised to see Jono among a group where Jean-Paul was absent.

They headed down the driveway where Logan sat in the X-Van, waiting for them. There were all talking and then a moment, later everyone was still talking, minus Kurt Wagner.

"_Merde_!" Remy yelled, almost falling off his perch as Kurt teleported on the branch next to him.

"It is cold, _mein freund_," Kurt grinned, "Come join us –we're going to Harry's for a drink."

"_Je bien_," Remy replied, waving his hand dismissively. His presence would just bring everyone down.

"Are you sure? You would rather sit up here?"

Kurt had a point. Remy glanced down to the other X-Men who were happily climbing into the van. "Fine. _Mais_ I ain't climbin' down myself." He said. The words were barely out of his mouth before Kurt grabbed him and _bamf_ed them into the van.

"Ugh!" Kitty groaned, "Someone roll down the windows!"

"My apologies," Kurt said cheerfully, climbing past everyone and into the passenger seat.

Remy straightened up in the seat Kurt had teleported him into. "_Salut_." He said, tipping an imaginary hat to the man sitting next to him.

"Hi ter you, too." Jono replied, snorting.

* * *

><p>Because no one had ever met Jono before his mutation, they had no idea what he was like when he drank. By ten o'clock, it had become clear that he could hold down a drink quite well, and while Kurt and Kitty sang drunkenly in a corner of the booth everyone sat at, and Rogue rambled on tipsily to Piotr, Remy, Logan, and Jono were still pretty decent. That didn't mean that they weren't feeling the effects of alcohol, though. Naturally, Logan's healing factor kept him from staying drunk.<p>

By eleven o'clock, Piotr, Rogue, and Kitty had already decided to head back to the mansion. This left Logan, Kurt, Jono, and Remy. Kurt was still singing, only louder now, and this was bringing Logan to tearful laughter.

Remy blinked and suddenly he and Jono seemed to be sitting by themselves in the booth.

"We don't talk much." Jono said, speaking first. He frowned slightly.

"_Oui_. Not much." Remy replied quietly.

"It was a few months ago. Something stupid. I can't remember exactly wot." Jono said.

"Somethin' like dat."

"So… fresh start, I suppose?" he said.

"_Oui_." Remy agreed. He sat forward, and shook Jono's outstretched hand from across the table.

They both grinned.

"Another drink?" Remy suggested.

Jono nodded.

Meanwhile, back at the mansion, sleep had fallen over most of the residents. _Most_, but not all. Bobby Drake sat quietly, by himself, in the darkened Rec Room with the television as his only source of light.

"You all right?"

Bobby looked over to his side; Jubilee was leaning over the couch, holding a glass of water and dressed in her pajamas.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He hadn't realized he was looking so somber. "Wanna watch some TV with me?"

Jubilee waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, we've got an early morning training session in the Danger Room tomorrow morning."

"Oh." Bobby said. "Right." He still hadn't been in the Danger Room to train with his powers for a while. Sure, he trained for hand-to-hand combat, but it wasn't the same.

Jubilee didn't seem to notice anything wrong. She smile and waved her fingers, "See you tomorrow, Frosty."

"'Kay." He replied softly as she left the room.

He turned back to the television, curling up into a ball on the sofa as he did so. He watched the programs somewhat indifferently until his eyes began to droop sleepily. A sudden crash in the kitchen jolted him awake.

He sat up and listened carefully; a whispered stream of curses were being spat out in the next room. Rising silently, Bobby walked down and across the hall toward the kitchen. The room was lit with light.

"Jean-Paul?" Bobby said, blinking the last of his drowsiness away.

The speedster finished closing the cupboards and turned around quickly. "Robert," he said with surprise.

"Yeah. Are you alright? I heard a…"

"It's fine." Jean-Paul assured him quickly. "Just an accident –I knocked some silverware off the counter."

"Oh."

They stood in dumb silence, neither knowing what to say at such a late hour.

"We always seem to be up really late, huh?" Bobby said,

"It's a bad habit of mine," Jean-Paul admitted with a nod.

"Huh."

"Well."

"I was gonna turn in soon, anyway."

"Right."

"Okay. Um. G'night." Bobby said.

"Good night."

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Bobby,"<p>

"Hi Jean," He yawned as he shuffled into the kitchen the next morning. "What's going on?"

Jean looked around the room where she had food spread out all over the counter. "Oh, Scott and I are going on a picnic later today." She smiled. "I'm just packing our lunch."

"A romantic getaway?" he grinned.

"Hopefully." She said, "If there's no crisis that interrupts us. What about you? What's your plan?"

"Watch TV, I guess. Do a little bit of training in the Danger Room." Bobby replied with a shrug.

"Oh," Jean said. She paused for a moment before saying, "Well, there's a group going to New York City. Maybe you could join them."

"Maybe." He said doubtfully. "Hey do you know where Remy is? Is he up yet?"

"Probably not," Jean laughed. "He and Jono stayed at Harry's pretty late."

Bobby raised his eyebrows, "They went out?"

"Mm hm," Jean said, "With some others."

* * *

><p>"You couldn't pick somewhere else to fall asleep?"<p>

Remy squinted in the sudden light and looked around blearily.

Bobby sat on the couch next to him.

"Never made it t' my room." Remy mumbles sleepily.

"Must've been some night."

"Not really."

"So I heard you and Jono were out pretty late."

"Red tell you dat?" Remy asked, stretching out and closing his eyes again.

"Yeah. So you guys are good?"

"All's forgiven."

"Good. The awkward run-ins are kinda awkward. Hey do you know if-?" Bobby peered down at his friend to find that the Cajun had fallen asleep again. "Oh. Never mind then." He stood up and wandered through the halls to find something else to do.

_Well this is lonely_, he thought to himself. Suddenly, the mansion seemed extremely empty. It was on his second tour through the second floor halls that Bobby paused. A mirror on the wall had caught his attention as he passed by. Bobby leaned forward to inspect his appearance. His skin was so pale he looked sick –like he was going to die soon.

Bobby forced himself to smile into the mirror, but it turned out look terribly sad and pathetic. He turned away from his reflection with a small sigh and started walking again.


	17. Sexuality Crises, Not Averted

**A/N: It's been a while, yeah? Sorry. Much thanks to you if you're still with this story. I can barely believe your patience with me. Like, why aren't you yelling or anything? **

**A/N: So we all know I'm terrible at updating. So here's my resolution: At least one chapter update every month, hopefully maybe. I actually only manage to get this done as a present to myself. (Eek! Happy birthday to me! I'm nearly fourteen! (March. 19****th**** my actually b-day. So psyched!))**

* * *

><p>"Hi," Bobby said as Jean-Paul fell into step next to him.<p>

"Is there a reason for this?" the Quebecois asked as they walked down the hall. "Or do you just walk through mansion when you have nothing else to do?"

Bobby shrugged. "Nothing else to do."

They walked in silence.

"Would you like to go out?" Jean-Paul asked after a moment.

"To town or, um-?" Bobby said with surprise. He stopped, and Jean-Paul stopped, too.

"Just to town," was the quick response, "I mean, why not? You have not been outside for a while, have you?"

He stared at the speedster, who returned the look with a steady gaze. There was no emotion in his expression; he just stood there, waiting for an answer.

Bobby considered the invitation. "Sure," he said, nodding, "Thanks."

A faint smile spread across Jean-Paul's lips. "Get your coat." He said.

…

/You seen Jean-Paul anywhere?/ Jono asked as he wandered into the Rec Room.

"I been lyin' on dis couch, Starsmore," Remy groaned, rolling onto his back and looking up. "Do y' t'ink I have?"

Jono frowned. "Jean said you'd know."

"Well den I guess Red's wro" –Remy stopped midsentence, a look of comprehension dawning over his face, erasing all traces of agitation. He recalled Jubilee coming by not too long ago looking for someone else. "Dey left. Prob'ly went t' town." He said.

/Who?/

Remy sat up lazily. "Jean-Paul an' Bobby. Why? Y'need somet'in'?"

Jono stared at him for a moment, then crossed his arms. "No." he turned and left the room.

Remy flopped down onto his side and closed his eyes.

"Hey, Gumbo, you ain't the only one livin' in this mansion," Logan growled from the doorway. "Go to your room to sleep, or wake up already. It's almost noon."

"_Nng_." Remy groaned noncommittally into the cushions.

"It's warm out –get up; go out." Logan said. "Just get yer lazy ass up off the couch."

Remy tumbled off said furniture and dragged himself across the floor before standing up slowly at the doorway and shuffling away.

"No dignity." He heard Logan grumble.

…

It was clear that Bobby wasn't in the best of spirits. There was no pretending otherwise. Whatever the cause was, though, he wasn't mentioning it.

"So. I've kind of accepted that I'm never going to get all of my memories back or be like I was before," Bobby said as they sat down in his favorite ice-cream parlor and he placed an order for mint chocolate chip in a bowl. "But everyone always says I'm different, but no one ever tells me how."

Jean-Paul thought about it. "It's hard to explain." He said. "Maybe the main difference is that you're less social now."

Bobby sighed, frustrated.

"You no longer wear those hideous Hawaiian T-shirts." Jean-Paul volunteered.

He smiled a little. "Yeah. Those are kind of bad."

"Kind of?" Jean-Paul scoffed. "They were _offensive_."

Bobby snorted. "Well gee, sor_ry_. I'm bad at shopping." He shook his head, "Remy and Jubilee took me to the mall once. I didn't understand any of it."

"I can imagine." Jean-Paul said, looking amused, "But I would listen to Gambit more than Jubilee."

"He makes even less sense than Jubes, though," Bobby said with a frown, "Because he knows more men's labels than she does. Shopping really shouldn't be made so difficult." He grumbled. When he looked up, there was a strange look on Jean-Paul's face.

It was not that much later that he found himself being taken along on a shopping trip.

"So," Bobby said as he went through a rack of shirts, "tell me about you."

"What?" Jean-Paul said.

"Yeah, I mean," Bobby shrugged here, "The memories are mostly coming back now –I just need to remember the month before I went into a coma –and I'm not really getting anything on you. I mean, I _know_ you're French-Canadian, and I _vaguely_ remember meeting you… but that's kind of it." He glanced at Jean-Paul, who looked surprised by this.

"I apologize then," Jean-Paul shook his head, "I didn't realize you knew so little about me. No. Absolutely not." He added as Bobby held up a shirt for approval. After a moment, he spoke up again. "I used to ski professionally."

"Really?" Bobby said, looking impressed. He loved any and all winter sports.

"_Oui_. Olympic gold medal and everything." Jean-Paul replied, remembering those years fondly.

"Did something happen?" Bobby asked with a frown.

"I mutated. Suddenly everything was put under question. I was accused of cheating. Sports and mutations do not mix very well. My sister and I joined Alpha Flight."

"Oh. Sorry." Bobby said, looking down. "Where is she now? Your sister?"

"Montreal, I believe." He left it at that.

"Ugh. I give up." Bobby moaned just a little bit later. "I can't find anything."

"Here," Jean-Paul said with amusement, holding out several articles of clothing he had picked out. "I think they should fit. Go try them on."

"I better not look ridiculous…" Bobby grumbled, taking the pile of clothes.

"Trust me. They are far better than your Hawaiian T-Shirts." Jean-Paul assured with a grin.

…

They were walking at leisurely pace through the outlet mall and Bobby was just thinking to himself that maybe the day wasn't going all bad. He was feeling a bit strange in a different way. It wasn't like how he usually felt, knowing he may not live for much longer. He felt… fluttery inside, and his gaze kept straying sideways to Jean-Paul. He supposed maybe he was feeling a bit humbled –Jean-Paul had bought him some really nice things, after all… but no. It wasn't just that. But he couldn't place just exactly _what_ it was.

Jean-Paul's X-Men pager suddenly went off.

Bobby was a bit surprised that he was carrying it.

Jean-Paul sighed and whipped the device out of his pocket. He glanced at the message and frowned. "Emergency meeting. Avengers are having a problem. They need a speedster"

"So Scott's sending you?"

The French-Canadian nodded and they hurried toward the parking lot.

"I will run back," Jean-Paul said, reaching into his pocket. "It will be fast." He held up a ring of keys. "Try not to scratch her?"

Bobby's eyes widened. "Wait, you're..." he turned to stare at Jean-Paul's vehicle, a beautiful red sports car. He gulped. "Um."

"Just drive carefully." Jean-Paul said, taking Bobby's hand and folding his fingers over the keys. He looked into Bobby's eyes and raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth quirking upward. "You can _handle_ it, _non_?"

"Yeah!" Bobby said indignantly, flushing a bit.

"Then stop frowning," Jean-Paul said teasingly.

"You should stop frowning." Bobby grumbled in a weak retaliation.

Jean-Paul grinned and turned.

"Hey, be careful, okay?" Bobby found himself blurting out.

"Of course," Jean-Paul replied immediately, looking surprised at the comment. He turned and was gone in a burst of speed.

Bobby frowned and fumbled with the keys in his hand before managing to unlock the car.

…

"_Bobby?" Jubilee said tentatively, opening the door of his room._

_ He didn't answer, but remained curled up by the window, staring outside. _

"_Listen," Jubilee said, walking into the room, "If you won't talk to me, couldn't you at least talk to Hank? Bobby?" she added when he didn't answer._

_ "Sure. Yeah. I'll talk to Hank. Tomorrow."_

"_Tomorrow. Yeah, okay. But this phase. It's not… are you, um, you're not hurting yourself, are you?" Jubilee asked._

"_No!" Bobby exclaimed immediately._

_ "Okay, just… just making sure. I'll just _leave_ now, I guess." She said, heading toward the door._

"_Thanks." Bobby said quietly. _

"_Really talk to Hank tomorrow, though, okay?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_And get out of your room soon."_

"'_Kay."_

"_Okay. See you, Frosty." Jubilee closed the door behind her._

_ Bobby sighed and leaned forward to peer down at the school grounds below._

_It was after classes, and many students were out playing games or sitting on the grass and talking. It was a really nice day. Most of the adults were outside as well._

_ Bobby scanned the sky, where several of the flying mutants were engaged in some sort of game, where one person would throw a Frisbees as hard as they could and someone else would zoom out to catch it. Julian Keller seemed to have successfully pestered Jean-Paul to be on the catching side of one of the Frisbees. Even through the glass, Bobby could hear the other students cheer as their teacher got ready to fly after the Frisbee Julian was going to throw._

_ Bobby watched and was hit with his usual inner debate. It was something that he had come to accept. Years and years (okay, two) of knowing Northstar and one morning a month ago he had stared at Jean-Paul from across the Staff Room and realized that feeling he had always thought to himself as admiration for the Quebecois was actually… something else._

_ It was shocking._

_The first thing he had thought upon this realization was that shouldn't he have had this sexuality crisis at least five years ago? _

_ Then –_oh God …Dad.

_Really, growing up with a homophobic family didn't do anything good for sexuality crises. _

_ Just because Bobby was estranged from them now, didn't mean that he hadn't lived with them for fifteen years of his life._

_ To top the emotional stress he was undergoing what with all of his internal fighting with himself, Bobby wasn't feeling so physically well these days, either. Maybe it was sleep deprivation or something. _

_ He would go to Hank tomorrow on the grounds of not feeling well and then… well, Hank was an accepting friend. He would understood and be able to suggest what to do, because Bobby Drake was pretty sure he was gay, or at least bi, and he was also extremely attracted to one of his team mates._

…

Bobby sat staring out of the windshield of the car with wide eyes and Jesus H. Christ and dearest Lord, why did having amnesia have to mean he had to discover that he wasn't as straight as he thought _twice_?


	18. Fluttery

**A/N: Chapter eighteen! I've got a vague notion as to how this fic will end, so please note: it will happen before the thirtieth chapter (most likely).**

* * *

><p>Bobby carefully parked Jean-Paul's car in the garage, got out and headed into the mansion. He silently passed by the Rec Room, where Jono and Remy were playing cards with Jubilee. He wasn't in the mood for too much socializing, so he headed down to the quiet corridors of the medical labs.<p>

"Bobby!" Annie exclaimed as Bobby wandered into the office. "It's good to see you. It's been a while since you dropped by for a visit. Everything going all right?"

Bobby dropped down onto a stool. "I remember everything." He said somewhat breathlessly.

She was momentarily speechless. He looked up at her with wide eyes as if perpetually in shock.

"Oh my God, that's great!" Annie gasped, throwing her arms around the ice mutant. "You should see the Professor and Hank –they'll be thrilled!"

_Except I'm still going to probably-die anyway, _Bobby briefly thought to himself. "Yeah… I guess so." He said aloud.

Annie frowned. "But something's bothering you. Something you remembered?"

"Yeah." Bobby frowned, too, and looked down at his hands, which he was twisting together in his lap. "Like… Annie, if you had amnesia, and then like…five months later, you suddenly realize you were in love with someone before you forgot everything?"

"Oh God. It's not Gambit, right? There are enough guys lusting after that man and I totally understand and I pass not judgment, but"

"-What? Ew! I mean –Oh my God, Annie! He's my best friend!" Bobby cried, looking scandalized.

She held up her hands. "Okay, just making sure. Not that I'm accusing you of being gay or anything. Totally sorry if it came out like that."

"Wait, what do you mean 'enough _guys_'-?"

"Okay, just one. One that I know of, anyway. But back to you, Bobby," Annie said quickly. "You _were_ in love?"

"Well, I don't know now." Bobby said. "That's the problem. I mean, I know I once felt… strongly for that person, but now I think about it and … I'm not sure what to think. Amnesia's like a mind-wipe. Pre-amnesiac Bobby is like a totally different person."

"I'm not sure I quite get what the problem is. You used to be 'in love with someone', and now that you remember that, you're not sure whether you still have any feelings? Like, you sometimes do, you mostly don't or something?"

"I usually have feelings for them. I've just been interpreting them as something else, I guess. Admiration, maybe?" Bobby shrugged, exasperated and confused.

"Um… I think maybe I would be able to help more if I knew who this person we're talking about _is_." Annie said.

Bobby shifted uneasily. "Um… well… It's kind of, um…"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Annie told him, "I understand."

"No, it's just that…" Bobby bit his lower lip and quickly weighed the odds. Annie was an accepting person. Not homophobic by any means- "Well, I _am_… gay, I guess?" He didn't like how it ended with a question mark so he revised it immediately, "I'm bisexual. Mostly gay, though. I think." His automatic reaction to spilling something like that would be to look away. But instead, he looked up at her, waiting, mostly uncertain as to what her reaction would be.

She took it calmly, not with wide eyes and a shocked expression like one may expect. "Are you sure?"

"I think so."

"So this person you were/maybe still in love with is a guy, then?"

"Yeah." Bobby said with a sigh.

"What did you like about him?"

"He never judged me, and he didn't act I was a kid like Scott and everyone else do. Even Remy forgets that I'm perfectly capable of … getting through life."

"Ugh, don't we just all fall for the guys who understand us?" Annie sighed.

"Alex understands people?" Bobby interjected, making a face.

"_Bobby_. Anyway, how do you feel now?"

"He's still really nice. He hasn't tried to be careful around me like some of the others. He didn't act like amnesia was a _disease_." Bobby said thoughtfully.

"Bobby, I'm thinking about who that could be, and some of the results are weird, so please just"

"-Jean-Paul, Annie."

This time, her eyes went wide. The grin that followed seemed to be in danger of spreading right off her face.

"Um, Annie-?"

"Robert Drake, please tell me that you are still in love with that man. Because excuse me, but if you say yes, life is going to be so much easier for you."

"Well, kind of. Yes, I guess."

"_Eek_." Annie squealed with delight.

Bobby frowned. "But I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship. I mean, I think we _are _friends, and if"

"Bobby, haven't you ever read his book?" Annie said happily, "Jean-Paul's one-hundred percent and positively gay."

"He's _what_?" Bobby choked.

"_Eeeek!"_

…

"Hank, remember when I was going to tell you something that day I went into the coma?"

"Yes. You've remembered?"

"Yeah. I remember everything."

"That's fantastic, Bobby! We should let Charles know,"

"If he doesn't already –_oof_. Thanks, Hank. _Eh_. Don't need to hug so tight, Blue."

"My apologies. I'm very happy for you, my friend."

"Thanks, Hank. Also, I think I'm bi."

…

Joshua Foley walked into the Recreation Room and sat down on the couch, turning on the television. "Hey Ms. Lee," He said, "Mr. LeBeau, Jono."

"Hey kiddo," Jubilee waved from where they sat nearby, playing a pointless card game. Pointless because they were making up the rules as they went along and currently, no one was winning because the game had no objective.

Jono glanced over to Josh, who had arrived under the pretense of watching television, but was not so secretly watching _them_ instead. It was strange for a student to be trying to …well, do whatever the hell Josh was doing.

Josh seemed to realize that his furtive sideways glances were being noticed, because he quickly turned his full attention to the television, which was playing reruns of some TV show about _something_ or other.

Remembering their conversation from a few weeks ago, Jono glanced over to Remy nervously.

Wait, nervously? What was there for him to be nervous over?

That's right; absolutely nothing.

Jono still felt fluttery inside anyway.


	19. I'm Sorry

**a/N: **

**Words cannot describe how sorry I am. **

**This fic has officially be abandoned. I'll still write fics, but only on occasion, and I will never be writing a multi-chapter fic again. My deepest and most sincere apologies to any who still follow this fanfic. I just can't finish it.**

**What you see below is the start of chapter 19, which I've had saved/unfinished on my flash laptop for months now.**

* * *

><p>"No." Jono said, eyes widening with horror, Christ, Jubes, no!/ He slapped the cards down and rolled over onto his stomach to properly look at her.

"Oh, what, did you think I forgot or something?" She scoffed.

"_Fille_, if he don' want a celebration, don't push fo' it." Remy said, even though he looked amused.

"Ahem, Gambit, I'm sorry, we've spoken before, right?" Jubilee said, "Of course I'm going to _push for it_. It's Jono's birthday tomorrow and he has no reason to mope in his room anymore. He can eat cake!" She turned to him and waggled her eyebrows, "Cake, Jono, you know you want it."

"Yer tryin' ter bribe me with _cake_?" He said with disbelief.

"Aw, come on, everyone loves _cake_," Jubilee said in a tone of _duh_. "And there will be alcoholic beverages and smokes and other things that are bad for you." She waggled her eyebrows some more.

Jono squinted at her, /You even drinking age yet?/

She crossed her arms. "Like that's ever stopped anyone before. Besides, beer tastes like cow piss, so I don't want it anyway. I'll just eat all your cake."

"This cake is currently still made of hypothetical ingredients." Jono said flatly.

"Gumbo!" Jubilee turned to whine at Remy instead.

"I ain't got any executive powers here," he muttered, putting his hands up in the universal sign for _I'm not part of this_.

"It's so boring around here." Jubilee moaned melodramatically, putting her face in the carpet.

Jono looked up at the ceiling and then back at Jubilee. He shrugged, deciding it wasn't his problem.

…

"And how do you feel about that, Bobby?"

He snorted, but then replied seriously, "I've said this before; I'm not that person anymore. I can't be who I was a few months ago, even if I tried."

"True," Xavier acknowledged, "So who are you planning on being?"

"Is that a question I have to answer right now, Professor?"

"No, but I would advise searching for it soon." He said wisely.

"Sure thing, Prof," Bobby said with a sigh.

…

Bobby was just about ready to pull his hair out. Hell, he was already doing so. He'd be bald if Jean-Paul's mission took just a little longer. Christ, why did the Avengers need _Jean-Paul_? Didn't they have_ Pietro_?

_Deep breaths, Drake,_ he thought to himself as he paced the kitchen. _Deep breaths, goddammit-_

"If yer gonna guard the fridge," a voice cut in, "Can ya at least hand me a beer?"

Bobby halted and looked sideways to where –yes indeed –he appeared to be walking back and forth in front of the refrigerator. He looked back to Logan, "Oh. Sorry." He quickly opened the fridge and tossed Logan a can.

The man popped the tab and took a sip, giving Bobby a strange look. After a moment, he turned away and retreated, possibly deciding that it was better not to ask about the ice mutant's strangeness.

Bobby took several deep breaths before venturing across the hall to the Rec Room, which he decided had a better view of the front door and also the hallway in general. God, what did he expect? To march up to Jean-Paul the moment of his return and-

…And what? What would he do? Declare he was suddenly and unexpectedly gay for Northstar, who was apparently and quite conveniently also gay? It seemed ridiculous… yet a small seed of hope blossomed within Bobby when he thought back to the way Annie chattered incessantly and confidently about how he should try talking to the French-Canadian.

"Hey Bobby!" Jubilee chirped, interrupting Bobby's thoughts, which were escalating quickly through the levels of Stressed to Panicked.

He blinked and noticed for the first time that there were several bodies already occupying the Rec Room. Remy, Jono, and Jubilee seemed engaged in a strange (possibly pointless) card game on the floor, while Elixir sat cross-legged on the couch, watching some new reality show.

"We should throw a party for Jono's birthday tomorrow," she said, smiling wildly. It appeared to be a subject that had already been brought up before, because Jono immediately sat up and scowled.

"No," he said, staring at her.

Bobby didn't even open his mouth, but simply sat down on the couch beside the student present. Josh shifted over.

Remy caught Bobby's eye made a face.

"


End file.
